“What do we do now?” she asked.
I licked my dry lips. My heart was pounding in my chest. I had never held a gun, never threatened anybody with their life, and, to be honest, I was a bit surprised we got this far.
“We’ll have to lock them up so they won’t sound the alarm,” I said.
“No,” Rhona said, “we have to take one with us as a hostage. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to get out of here alive.” Rhona sounded like she'd done this so many times before and knew exactly what would come next.
So why did she ask me what to do?
I threw a quick frown in her direction.
“You don’t watch a lot of movies, do you?” she said.
And you don’t know how little spare time teachers have.
I made a split-second decision.
“Okay, grab the doctor. He seems less expendable than the soldiers.”
Rhona grabbed the man by his skinny neck again. I told the soldier to drag his still unconscious comrade with him and walk in front of us into the hallway. As we followed him, I studied the fallen soldier. I had expected him to have come round by now.
I hope I didn’t give him any permanent brain damage when I hit him.
We took them to my classroom where I took a hold of the doctor while keeping my gun aimed at the soldier. I instructed Rhona to get some zip ties from one of the shelves in the storeroom. She tied the soldiers’ hands behind their backs. While she attached them to the workbenches, the unconscious soldier began to come to.
Phew! That weight’s off my shoulder.
I was thirstily licking my lips looking at the soldier’s muscly neck. Glancing at his buddy, I saw the scared look on his face. I firmly closed my mouth and reminded myself I didn’t want to doom anybody to the same fate as me.
Rhona and I proceeded down the stairs with the doctor in front of us. I had flicked the safety switch of the gun as I was terrified of accidentally shooting the man through the head. Halfway down the lower staircase, we were spotted by two soldiers on guard at the exit. They reached for their weapons, but I warned them with as much conviction as I could muster not to do anything foolish.
“One move and the doctor gets it!” I yelled, copying Rhona’s phrase.
Charlie would be so proud of me if he could see me right now.
One of the soldiers continued to reach for his weapon, and I made a show of flicking the safety switch. That stopped him in his tracks.
Ha, I’m not a stupid little girl, you know.
I told that soldier to go and get Moore. I didn’t need any heroes close by. It didn’t take long before Moore appeared.
“You can’t go anywhere, you know,” was the first thing he said.
“Yes, I can, and I will. You’ll do as I say or the doctor gets it.”
To prove my point I pushed the gun to Dr. Hayley’s temple. I was so glad the man didn’t struggle as I had no real intention of hurting him.
“You will take Rhona and reunite her with Harry,” I commanded Moore.
“No!” Rhona yelled before I could continue. She had not seen this one coming. “Kate, I’m coming with you.” She was pulling my sleeve as she said it, not making me any more comfortable holding the gun to Dr. Hayley’s head.
“No, Rhona. You’ll be safer here with Harry.” I kept my eyes on Moore. To him I said, “You’ll keep her safe until this is all over and give her the vaccine you’re working on.”
Moore’s expression became puzzled. I guessed he wondered how I knew. He nodded.
“What do you want?”
“I want a car and safe passage out of Bullsbrook.”
“I can’t let you go.”
I pushed the gun harder against Dr. Hayley’s temple, pushing his head to the side this time.
Moore put his hands up.
“Where will you be going?” he asked.
“To the others. To my sister Julie.”
“I can’t let you do this.”
I liked the man, but he was getting on my nerves with his repeated statements that I couldn’t have my way.
“Yes, you can. You have my blood, my saliva. You don’t need me anymore. You’ve had all afternoon to prepare for an attack. Any warning I could give them won't give them much of an advantage. If I can't make them surrender, I’ll be just another one of the daywalkers you want to kill so badly anyway. So, in all honesty, I don’t think you give a fuck whether I go or not.”
Shit, swearing feels good. I should do this more often.
I hadn’t taken my eyes off Moore and nothing seemed to have changed. Nevertheless, I got the idea that all of a sudden there was more depth of emotion in his eyes than there had been before. It was almost as if he admired me. He didn’t think about what I’d said for long.
“Fine, you get your wish. But the doctor stays.”
You wish.
“Hell, no. He’s coming with me until I’m well out of Bullsbrook as insurance you’ll keep your word. I’ll let him get out, unharmed, on the highway. You can pick him up after I’ve gone.”
“How do I know you’ll keep your word?” Moore asked, still as calm as if we were making an appointment for a coffee later on.
“Because you have Charlie.”
For Charlie
I was given the keys to a car, and I made the doctor get in the driver’s seat first. I kept my gun on him while I walked around the front to the passenger’s seat. As I faced the building where they kept Charlie, I saw him in one of the classroom windows. My heart sank. He was slamming his hands on the window, and I could hear his muted voice calling out my name.
He wouldn’t know what was going on, but it didn’t matter. I wanted him safe which meant I had to leave him behind. His face was an image of fear. A memory flashed by, and I relived the climax of our union whilst the pain of leaving him ripped through my body. The combination felt like butterflies and razor blades dancing together in my stomach. Leaving him now was like throwing myself into the deepest pit of hell after visiting paradise, but there was no other option.
The things we do for love.
Moore followed my every move. I tried to keep it together. Rhona had been taken outside too, to be reunited with Harry. I assumed he was in another building, I didn’t see him in any of the windows. I put one foot in the car and hesitated.
Tell Charlie I love him,” I said to Rhona. “Please take care of him when I’m gone.” Tears welled up in my eyes, and my voice went funny on the last word. I didn’t want to cry in front of Moore, so I quickly got into the car and told the doctor to get going.
When we had left the school grounds, the doctor spoke out of the blue.
“It wouldn’t have worked.”
“Excuse me?”
“Your friend holding the needle to my jugular; it wouldn’t have worked. The vacuum in the tubes suck the blood out. She wouldn’t have been able to pump air in. It doesn’t work that way.”
I glanced for a moment at the doctor.
“Then why did you co-operate?” From the corner of my eye, I could see him smile.
“I had what I wanted from you, the lab work had begun. My life has been rather boring these last few years, and I must admit I rather enjoyed the excitement of these last few weeks. I thought, what the hell, I could do with some more.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. After I let his words sink in, I began laughing, and the doctor laughed with me.
Once we were well out of Bullsbrook, I asked Dr. Hayley politely to get out. He had been a good hostage and hadn’t tried to escape or attack me. I moved into the driver’s seat but didn’t drive away immediately. This fear of being incredibly stupid took a hold of me. I needed to know if I wasn’t going on this escapade for nothing, so I lowered the window.
“Doc, please tell me, how far from making the vaccine are you?”
He smiled, took a step toward the car again and leaned forward.
“We were getting closer, but not very fast. Your blood was the key we needed to speed things
up.”
“Keep at it, doc,” I smiled back at him and drove off.
I continued driving to the little village where Charlie and I had nearly been lynched. As with everything I’d done in these past few days, I had no idea what to expect and hadn’t really thought through what I was going to do.
What if Julie is long gone from the area? What if she doesn’t want to get vaccinated? What if they never find a vaccination?
So many ‘ifs’ again.
For now, I had to focus on finding Julie.
While driving through the countryside with its beautiful colors, I saw Charlie’s face before me. The face of the funny man who’d made me laugh so much during the last few months. The man I’d hurt so often during these last few days. The man I now wanted to be with every single moment.
I had no idea if there was going to be a next day for me, and the thought of never seeing Charlie again constricted my throat. My eyes filled up with tears making it difficult to see the road ahead. I didn’t need to talk to anyone, nor did I have to be ashamed to let the tears flow freely, but I was still trying to keep it together.
For Charlie.
Finding Julie
As I got to the village, the sun had already set, and the world was that of suckers again. Gray and gloomy. When I arrived at the square, I had to stop the car. In front of me was a huge crowd of suckers. There were more suckers here than I had ever seen together before.
Where did they all come from?
I assumed Caleb and Sasha had used motorized transport to make it to Duncan’s pack and gather the other packs so quickly. They must have used darkened vehicles and used unbitten humans under threat to drive. I couldn’t think of any other way they all could have gotten here so fast.
What the hell was I thinking?
I scanned the crowd and recognized several faces. Most were from Duncan’s pack, some had to be from Caleb’s pack, but I also saw girls from Julie’s pack. ‘Julie must be here.’
The thought elated me at first. I then realized that this meant it would be harder to get her out of here, to safety. Before I got out of the car, I tucked the army gun into the back of my pants. ‘Just in case,’ I told myself.
As I walked toward the center of the square, the crowd parted ahead of me. I wondered why they were doing this. I wasn’t a threat to them. At the other side of the square stood Duncan, Julie, Caleb, and Sasha. I focused on my breathing at the sight of them. Despite my fear, I forced myself to continue to walk toward them until I was close enough to communicate, yet at a safe distance. From the look on their faces, it was clear Caleb and Sasha had told Duncan their news and possibly knew about the army's plan to annihilate them.
Caleb’s problem with Duncan doesn’t seem to be big enough to stop him from forming an alliance with Duncan, and vice versa.
Duncan called out.
“Are you joining us again?”
I couldn’t tell if he was happy about that prospect or not.
“No, I am not. I’m here to warn you that the army is preparing a major attack, and I ask you all to surrender, so no lives will be lost.”
A wave of laughter went through the crowd including Duncan, Caleb, and Sasha. I noticed Julie wasn’t laughing.
She’s probably wondering what the hell I am doing.
“You must be joking,” Duncan said. “Why would we surrender? We are the superior species. We’re gathered here to crush the army’s resistance and bring in a new era!”
The crowd cheered.
This guy is a raving lunatic. No wonder Julie didn’t want to join his pack. So what’s she doing here with him again?
I looked at Julie. She looked shifty, seeming none too happy with the whole situation at all. It was almost as if she didn’t want to be here.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Duncan wasn’t holding Julie’s hand, he was holding Julie’s wrist.
Shit, shit, shit! How could I have been so stupid?
I realized they had known I would come and look for her.
They still don’t know how to become a daywalker and they need me. She’s the bait, I’m the prize. And I walked straight into their trap.
There was no way I could get out now. My only chance was to try and make the others see this man was insane. They didn’t stand a chance against the army, especially as they weren’t daywalkers yet, and I knew the army was coming with UV-lights mounted on their trucks and rifles. It would be a massacre.
Sasha addressed the crowd this time. She pointed at me.
“She’s the key. She can walk in daylight. When we get the secret out of her we can all walk in daylight.”
Another cheer went through the crowd.
For heaven’s sake, is there a sale on idiocy?
“Listen, we don’t have time for this!” I yelled at the people. “The army is coming and they have lights, lots of UV-lights. They’re going to wipe you out before the night is over!”
I looked around and didn’t see a single rational-thinking being. What I saw instead was a crazy mob. I knew what they looked like as I had some previous experience. At the exact same spot, come to think of it.
Almost like I’m having déjà vu.
These suckers weren’t single individuals anymore; they were a mob with mob mentality. They weren’t an aggressive mob yet, but they could easily become one and Duncan knew it.
“You will tell us your secret,” Duncan commanded. The tone of his voice suggested he thought he already had me under his control.
“No, I will not. When I do, I’ll seal your fate, and you will all die.” I was still hoping I could convince them to give up. “Everybody, listen, please! They’re working on a vaccine and will soon be able to turn you back into normal humans again. You can have your old lives back!”
The crowd roared with laughter. I knew it had been a long shot of course. I didn’t know what the army would do with these people who had killed over and over again. And what made me think they'd want to return to their previous feeble selves? I had doubts about it myself. Being physically fit felt great.
The crowd kept on yelling, growing angrier.
All of a sudden, Duncan let go of Julie’s wrist. He grabbed her by the neck, and with his other hand held a gun to her head. Julie yelped. This fueled the mob even more.
“You will give us your secret!” Duncan yelled over the top of the crowd.
In an instant, I had my gun out and aimed at Duncan. It didn’t seem to scare him as he probably knew I wouldn’t shoot as long as he held the gun to Julie’s head.
Caleb, who had been watching the whole situation silently, must have been thinking the same thing as without an order he came jogging toward me. I knew it was now or never. If he reached me, he would take the gun from me. That would be the end. I had to pull the trigger. I had to stop him. Caleb slowed down halfway and continued walking toward me. He had a smile on his face. It was a victory smile as he knew they’d won. He knew I couldn’t pull the trigger.
He’s still a human being. If I kill him, I’ll be as bad as they are. I, myself, will be the reason why I hate guns.
I dropped my arms, defeat written all over my face. Caleb’s smile became a smirk. Seeing this smirk on his face fueled a simmering fire in me and a sudden, hot anger welled up in me. This guy had caused me so much pain, so much misery. I had thought we had something together, something special. It appeared, however, that he only wanted to hurt Sasha in a bid for revenge and, as a result, I had hurt Charlie again and again. I had put so many lives at risk. I had no idea how much I really hated Caleb, but in that moment, I knew. I raised my arms and shot him.
I feel so much better now.
Caleb went down on one knee. He put his hand under his jacket to his right shoulder, and when he took it out again, it was covered in blood. Sasha screeched with rage. I began walking in Julie’s direction with my arms outstretched, holding the gun aimed at Duncan.
I’ve got a gun, and I’m not afraid to use it.
I
was about to pass Caleb. I thought I had warned him enough to let me be. Unfortunately, he was as tough as he was portrayed in the stories about him. He jumped up and dove at me, grabbing my upper arms. We flew in an arc through the air. When we hit the ground, the sudden impact made my finger move the trigger. The gun went off.
As his body pinned me down, we looked each other in the eyes. There was love, surprise, and fear in his. These were the eyes I’d instantly fallen so deeply in love with. The eyes I'd come to hate. And now, in this final moment, I couldn’t help but love them again. Again, a wave of eternal love washed around us, engulfed us, connecting us for evermore.
Then the light in his eyes faded as he collapsed on top of me.
War
At that exact moment, a bright flare dropped in the middle of the village square. The suckers closest to it fell to the ground, unable to control their seizing muscle movements. The rest of the mob scattered in all directions.
I pushed Caleb’s body off me. As I got up, I saw suckers donning all sorts of hoods and masks and sunglasses as they fled. They seemed to be gathering in groups. Duncan may have been a lunatic, but he knew warfare. I scanned the crowd and spotted him dragging Julie away from me.
Oh no, you don’t.
I sprinted after them. They disappeared into the supermarket. From all sides, the army surrounded the square with trucks, tanks, and helicopters. They had enormous lights mounted on them, shining in all directions.
The suckers didn’t seem to have a chance, but they didn’t seem afraid either. As one, the group fell upon the soldiers. It was a proper battle scene as all hell broke loose with flashes, shots, light explosions, and screams everywhere. Some screams came from suckers being hit, others came from soldiers being bitten. The lights cast horrible moving shadows on the walls, making it all look even worse.
Living Like A Vampire Page 21