by ID Johnson
Dr. Doss swallowed hard beside him. "I have no explanation," he began. "When we placed the body here, it was just like any other car wreck victim. When we started searching for Mr. Cook this morning, we discovered this. Not a drop of blood left in his body."
Dr. Arnold wasn't sure exactly what had occurred in his hospital that day, but he knew one thing; as few people as possible needed to know about this. "Who else has seen this?" he asked, pulling the sheet back over Mr. Wester.
Dr. Doss seemed to consider before answering. "Dr. Martin was helping with the search, as was Nurse Shaw and the custodian, Juan. He may have seen, though I'm not sure. I asked him to check the slide drawers, so it's possible that he didn't see."
"Make sure that no one else see's this body. Talk to Dr. Martin and Nurse Shaw, and make sure they know no one else finds out about this either. See what Juan knows, and if you need to, tell him that you found the cause of Mr. Wester's pale state, and it was a medical condition. Meanwhile, we need to come up with an excuse as to why we no longer have the body of Jack Cook," Arnold explained, now thoroughly convinced that Cook was no longer in the hospital.
"Are you sure there's nowhere we haven't looked?" Dr. Doss asked, thinking perhaps there was a possibility that they might still find Cook.
Dr. Arnold had seen enough to know that they would not be finding Cook in the hospital, not now, anyway, and hopefully, never again. "No, he's not here," Arnold confirmed. "We'll have to do some convincing with Mr. Wester's family. Perhaps, we can suggest a cremation. If they come to examine the body, we'll have to do our best to make sure they do not look too closely. As for the disappearance of Mr. Cook, I have no idea how we are going to handle that, but we'll have to think of something."
***
Twenty-two year old Juan Arriaga had been a custodian at Bryan Health for almost five years. Over the course of that time, he had seen enough to sicken and revolt even those with the strongest stomachs. The only thing that ever bothered Juan was the idea that he was not alone, even while he was mopping the floor outside of the morgue, when he should have been completely by himself. His entire family was highly superstitious, and he believed the spirits of the dead still roamed the halls of the hospital. This day, however, it was not just una fantasma he feared. No, it was something more. He had pretended not to see what Dr. Doss and Dr. Martin were discussing, as he opened and closed the drawers in the refrigerator, making sure no unknown bodies were located inside. However, just as soon as he had the opportunity, he ran to his locker on the second floor, grabbed his phone, and dialed his madre. "Mama," he said. "Un vampiro esta aqui. Tenemos que ir." In Juan's opinion, it was time to go.
***
Cadence was still sitting on the sofa in Jack's parent's hotel room, listening to them tell stories about Jack. They had moved on to better times and were now discussing his younger years. Playing tee-ball, swimming in the pool at his grandmother's house, trips to the zoo, etc. Cadence couldn't blame them for reminiscing. She was just tired and didn't have much to contribute. She had known Jack since about fourth grade, but she didn't count him as a friend until high school. They had started dating as juniors and had kept their relationship intact until they both went away to college, choosing different universities, different paths, different lives. Now, listening to his parents tell tales of happier times served as a reminder that there would be no more happy times with Jack.
Jet-lag and sadness were both doing a number on her. She leaned her head against Sydney's, which still rested on her shoulder, and tried her best to keep her eyes open. She wondered if Hannah had any control over sleepiness.
Hannah was still sitting in a straight-backed chair across the room. Elliott was not. He had excused himself a few moments after Taylor had revealed that Jack was missing, and the Guardian had not reappeared in these past twenty minutes. She had attempted to figure out what the problem was for a bit but had given up, not sure why Elliott was so concerned that Jack's body had been misplaced. It all seemed rather odd, and she thought, perhaps, if she were running on a full-tank, she would be able to discern exactly what the problem was. In her current state, however, she was out of guesses, and so she continued to listen to Alice talk about Jack's first home run and prayed her eyes would stay open.
"How are you doing?" Aaron asked through her IAC.
It had been quite sometime since Cadence had messaged him the same question, and she was relieved to hear from him at last. "I'm holding up," she replied. "Hannah is helping a lot. Thanks so much for sending her. Are you feeling okay?"
"Never better," he replied, the sarcasm present even in the IAC transmission. "And Jamie?" Cadence inquired, hoping he had also recovered from any drain the second healing would have had on his system.
"He's fine. He's actually on a hunt right now, so I guess he's made a full recovery," Aaron responded.
"Really?" Cadence was surprised to hear that. She had seen how drained Jamie was after the last time he had healed Aaron, and she couldn't imagine he could recover that quickly this time. "I take it you are not participating?" she asked.
"No, not this time. Shane is leading it. I'm sitting this one out."
Cadence was actually relieved to hear that Aaron wasn't participating, though she had to wonder how a hunt might go with Shane in charge. The last time the trainer had been on a hunt with Cadence, he had had made a critical error that almost cost them some team members. "Good," she replied. "You need to take a break sometimes."
Aaron did not respond to that particular remark, stating instead, "Elliott tells me Jack's body is missing?"
"Yes," Cadence replied. "I'm sure it's nothing. They'll find him. I know his parents are upset because they want to plan the funeral, but he has to be there somewhere."
Again, Aaron didn't respond directly to her remark. "Glad to know you aren't upset about it," he replied.
"It's not that," she admitted. "I guess, it's just the least of my worries," she added.
Aaron didn't seem sure about that, but he didn't let Cadence know his opinion, not yet. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.
She thought for a moment and then glanced around the room to make sure she wasn't missing anything. Her friends still seemed intrigued by Alice's story, and no one seemed to be paying any particular attention to Cadence. She caught Hannah's eye for a moment, and she seemed to have some sort of an indication that Cadence was having a private conversation with someone. She gave her a little knowing glance, which told Cadence that, if she missed something, Hannah would fill her in. Finally, in response to Aaron's question, she replied, "Not from there." She hoped it didn't come across as offensive, but it was true. If he had been able to come with her, she thought he would be able to make her feel better even without any magical talents. From hundreds of miles away, however, there just wasn't a lot he could do.
"I'm sorry," he replied but even as it was coming across, she was responding.
"Don't be," she assured him. "That's not what I meant."
"I know," he said, though he still felt guilty that he wasn't there when she needed him. "I know what you meant."
"I just want to go home," she admitted. She was so tired and didn't want to think about planning and attending another funeral.
He was temporarily confused by her vagueness. "Do you mean to Shenandoah?" he asked, thinking she might mean her parent's house.
"No," she clarified. "To LIGHTS," then hesitantly, she added, "to you."
He didn't respond for a moment. There was no question that Aaron and Cadence were attracted to each other. Even from the very first time he had met her, he had known there was something special about her. He also knew how unbelievably dangerous it was to have a relationship with the Hunter a Guardian was supposed to be protecting. In fact, it had already gotten him shot. Not that he wouldn't have sacrificed himself to protect any Hunter, but he certainly wasn't going to let anything happen to Cadence. They had decided not to see each other only a few days before they left for Paris. However, now t
hat he had been so near death, now that he had been called upon to pay the ultimate price to save her and had not even thought twice about potentially doing so, he realized just how badly he wanted to be with her. And as much as he wanted to tell her just that, he felt that now was not the time to do so, not when she was so far away and had so many other things weighing on her mind. Instead, he said simply, "I'm sure I'll see you soon."
She wasn't exactly sure how to interpret that. She had gone out on a limb, partially because she was exhausted, partially because she had faced a reality without Aaron in it for a few moments, and it scared the hell out of her. She decided now was not the time to press the issue. "Good," she said simply.
"I'll talk to you later," he replied.
"Okay. Get some rest," she suggested.
"I'll try," he promised, though he knew that there wasn't much of a chance of that happening. Even now, he was receiving messages from Elliott regarding their plan of action for the hospital. Listening to Elliott's recommendations, he quickly ascertained that some damage control was likely necessary, even though Cadence still didn't recognize exactly what was unfolding around her. He authorized Elliott to go to the hospital and do what he needed to do and then closed his eyes for approximately two seconds before more chatter came in, this time from Shane, and then more from an Independent Hunter located in Lincoln, Nebraska. He had a new Vampire to report. Aaron sighed; it was going to be a long night.
Chapter 4
Jack took another drink of his beer, gulping the rest down before he placed the glass back on the table, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and attempted to formulate the question burning in his mind into articulate words. Somehow, however, before he even asked for clarification, he knew what Giovani's answer would be. "Who is Holland?" he began. "And, how can she be my mother?"
Giovani smirked and signaled to the waitress who had just started her shift. Still tying her apron, the petite brunette approached the table, her shoes clicking noisily on the wooden floor. "Can I get a couple more Buds?" he asked smiling at the young girl. She looked like she could be about Jack's age, possibly a college student, and she nodded, returning his smile before turning back to the bar.
Returning his attention to Jack, Giovani replied, "Come on, man. Surely you've noticed a few differences today, a few things about yourself that seem a little odd."
Of course, if Jack stopped to think about it, there was plenty that had been unusual today. For starters, he had slurped the blood out of a human corpse. He had been able to cover four miles worth of cityscape in about ten minutes. He had ripped the deadbolt on a large metal door through the steel frame. Yes, things seemed a bit different today. After a few moments of consideration, he said simply, "What's going on?"
The waitress returned, sitting the glasses down on cardboard coasters before flashing Giovani a smile and sauntering away. His eyes followed her swaying hips, and he absently ran his tongue across the tips of his teeth, wishing he could draw out his fangs right now and take a little taste. Once she was out of his line of sight, he turned back to Jack. "I think you know," he replied quietly before taking a drink of his beer. It did nothing for him, but it did make him blend in with the humans, and so he had attempted to acquire a taste for it over the last fifty years or so of his altered existence.
Jack's memories of what happened the night that Drew died were foggy at best. Like the rest of his friends, he had been convinced that she had simply fallen while they were out rock climbing. That was the logical answer that had been drilled into his brain. However, when he was sleeping, he had memories that did not fit that description. He saw a woman with long red hair, blood stained lips, flying after him, her pale skin glistening in the moonlight. He knew they were being pursued by something evil. But he could not recall enough of the facts to put the story together. Now, given his experiences from the day, he was afraid his deepest fear had actually come true, and he had been transformed into whatever that woman was. Even with the information at hand, he couldn't bear to think of what that would make him. Rather than answer Giovani's question, he returned to his original one, the one that Giovani had yet to answer. "Who is Holland?" he repeated, more forcefully this time.
"I think you know," Giovani replied again, this time adding, "You remember her, don't you? From the Eidolon Festival?"
Jack brushed a hand through his short brown hair. "What did she do to me?" he asked quietly, not at all sure he wanted to hear the answer.
"I told you," Giovani replied, spinning his glass back and forth on the table absently, "She's your mother. She gave you life."
Jack shook his head in disbelief and said, "I think you mean she killed me. I died yesterday, didn't I?"
"No, man," Giovani protested. "That old life, that useless, disposable existence. That wasn't living. Now, you're invincible. You can do anything, brother." He stretched his hands wide-open, an illustration that the possibilities were endless. Jack was still skeptical. "But. . ." he hesitated, not sure he wanted to speak the word, not wanting to have his suspicion confirmed. "I'm a . . . Vampire."
Giovani threw back his head, laughing in glee. "That's right, brother!" he exclaimed, offering Jack his hand. "You're one of the lucky ones now, my friend."
Reaching out reluctantly, Jack clasped the cold, pale hand in his and was shocked at the sheer strength of Giovani's grip. "What do you mean?" he asked. "How am I lucky? This doesn't feel so amazing to me, not right now."
"Just you wait," Giovani replied, loosening his grip. "I'm going to teach you everything I know. Then, you'll see just how incredible it is to be undead."
Jack still felt very cynical. Yet, even the horrific notion that he was actually dead seemed more acceptable than the perplexing fog he had walked around in all day, not knowing what was happening. While the idea that he was a Vampire surely should have seemed horrific to him, an unusual feeling of calm began to surround him. "I'm a Vampire?" he said quietly, staring at the table. Giovani said nothing, the smug grin still on his face. "Why does that seem so... acceptable to me?" he asked, looking Giovani in the face.
Giovani laughed again. "Because, it's who you are. Even on a subconscious level, you realize this is the life, brother! Being a Vampire is so much better than any other form of existence!"
Jack considered Giovani's response for a few minutes. Nothing his "brother" was saying seemed logical at all, and yet the idea that he was a Vampire--that he was no longer alive in the traditional sense of the word--didn't seem at all appalling to him. In fact, in some ways, it seemed exciting and fascinating. However, Jack still had several questions. The first that came to mind involved the one he could hold responsible for his new state of being. "Where is Holland, anyway?" Why hadn't she shown up to explain things to him herself?
Giovani hesitated, unsure of exactly how much information to give to Jack. "She's not available," he replied. That information should be sufficient enough for now.
Jack was still a bit puzzled but let it go. "All right," he conceded. "So, how does this work? Can I still interact with my friends and family?"
Before the question was even complete, Giovani was shaking his head. "No, man. I'm sorry. They can't know that you're still around. When your family sees you, they completely freak out. We don't have a lot of rules, but one we do have is that friends and family can't ever know that you're a Vampire."
Jack threw himself backwards against the seat. "What?" he asked in disbelief. I don't know if I can live by that rule."
"You've got to, brother, or else one of us will have to destroy you. And we've already got enough problems with Vampire Hunters trying to track us down. You've got to stay away from your parents, brothers, sisters, friends, whoever. They can't know, man. It's seriously important that you make that rule a priority," Giovani stated, leaning in closer.
Though he had more questions about the rules, something Giovani said caught Jack's attention. "Did you say Vampire Hunters?" he asked, suddenly feeling a bit vulnerable.
"Yes," Giovani clarified. "They are real. And they want to destroy us. So, we've got to make sure that we either follow their rules or lay low."
"What kind of rules do they have?" Jack asked, staring into those steel gray eyes again.
"Well," Giovani considered, leaning back in the booth a bit. "We are supposed to register with them, which you can do if you want to, but I don't recommend it. They'll put a tracker in you. Then, as soon as they decide you've broken one of their rules, they'll show up and destroy you. They dictate who we can and cannot feed on. It's really not the best system from our vantage point, honestly, but as long as you stay out of their way, most of the time they'll leave you alone."
Jack was nodding. "And how do I do that exactly?"
"Don't do anything to draw attention to yourself; be careful where you find your victims, that sort of thing," Giovani replied, glancing around the bar. A few more people were coming in now, and he was trying to come up with some examples. "Okay, so see that seedy looking guy over there, the one with the scruffy beard and the dirty clothes?" Jack nodded, so he continued. "He looks like a bottom-dweller. Chances are, no one's going to care too much if his body is found in an alleyway somewhere. That waitress, however," he continued, nodding in the direction of the petite brunette who had served them earlier. "She shows up dead, people are going to notice. The more people that notice, the more attention you get, the more problems you've got."
Again, Jack was nodding. "So, what, bums, druggies, that sort of thing?"
"You got it," Giovani agreed. "Unless, of course, you wanna live on the edge. Then, hey, man, go for it."
Jack had never been much of a risk-taker. He preferred to follow the rules and do the right thing. Nevertheless, the idea of feasting off of the waitress seemed much more appealing than the grimy older man with the beard. "And what happens when these Hunters find out you've broken a rule?"