by Dara Nelson
“No, Sarah. He’s not dead. This is the first time he’s slept in weeks.”
I exhaled and sobbed, “Oh thank God.”
Aquila released me and I walked over to Carlos. I knelt down and brushed his hair from his face, then leaned down and kissed his lips. I got no response, nothing. He was out cold. I kissed again, a little more firmly this time. I saw a slight smile on his lips, but then still nothing. Another kiss, this time parting his lips with my tongue. Now I was in his dreams, I could tell. “Mmmm, is it time for loving, baby?” he mumbled, his eyes still closed and dancing behind the eyelids. “Always, my love,” I whispered then I kissed him again.
Suddenly he frowned, “Don’t,” he whispered, surprising me. I opened my mouth to say something, but he continued on first, “Whoever you are, don’t. I’m dreaming about my beloved wife and I’m not going to open my eyes and spoil that dream.”
I smiled and place my hand on his cheek, “Then don’t spoil it, live it,” I whispered as I leaned in to kiss him once more. His eyes flew open and I smiled at the confused look on his face. “Sarah? Is it really you? I’m not dreaming? You’re really here?” he said as his hands moved over my face, my hair, my body.
“It’s really me, sweetheart. I’m really here.”
He shot upright and wrapped me in his arms, kissing me as he sobbed. I let him have a few minutes and then I couldn’t stand it anymore, I had to ask, “Honey? Where’s Matt?” I whispered.
“Huh? Oh, it was his turn to go get blood. He was meeting up with Bahiti. He’ll be back soon. I’ll link with him and tell him that you’re out, you’re safe, oh, thank God, you’re safe.”
“No, don’t. Let me surprise him too,” I said as I sighed in relief then I stood up when I heard sounds coming down the hallway. “Supplies are still short, but I managed to get two each, guys. We may have to hunt next,” he said then he stopped when he saw me. Or thought he saw me. He dropped the bags on the floor and rubbed his eyes. “Shit. Carlos! I’m hallucinating again. Damn it to hell anyways.”
I took a few steps toward him, “You’re not hallucinating, honey. I’m here. I’m right here.”
“No, you’re not.” he whispered.
I took the last few steps to him and placed my hand on his cheek, “Yes, I am.”
He glanced behind me and saw the open door to the tomb. “Oh my God,” he groaned as he locked me in his arms and cried into my neck. After a few minutes, Carlos walked over and joined us in our hug. We probably would have stayed like that for a very long time, if not for Aquila. His voice broke through the joy of our reunion. “Sarah! It’s Jason. Something’s wrong with Jason. Please help!” he urgently called. I looked over and saw Jason crouched down in a squat and holding his head. “Oh shit. He doesn’t know how to ignore it,” I said as I went to him.
“Ignore it? Ignore what?” Carlos said.
“The voices,” I called over my shoulder. The voices of the history we had just consumed were a constant din in our heads. With me being used to having voices in my head, I knew how to “turn it down” or ignore it, as it were, so that it wasn’t a nuisance, or worse. But seraphim’s don’t communicate with their minds. This was something brand new to poor Jason. I crouched down in front of him. “Make it stop. Make it stop,” he was groaning as he rocked back and forth. I took his hands in mine, startling him. He squeezed his eyes shut again. “Jason, look at me,” I said. He opened his eyes and stared. “Concentrate on my voice, Jason. This is the only voice you hear. This is the only sound, just my voice, only my voice. Can you hear my voice, Jason?”
I watched as his breathing relaxed slightly. Finally he nodded his head. “Better?” I said.
“A little,” he groaned.
“I’ll show you, Jason. I’ll help you learn how to ignore it so that it doesn’t drive you crazy. Okay?”
He nodded, and added, “Quickly, please?”
I smiled and nodded, “Quickly. I promise. Now, just concentrate on the voices in this room. Don’t try to listen to any sounds except what you know are in this room: my voice, your father’s voice, Matt and Carlos’ voices. That’s it, just us. Can you do that, Jason? Do you hear what I’m saying?”
‘Sarah. I think I can help him. Can you tell him to let me in?’ Jonas whispered.
For a split second I hesitated, because telling everyone that Jonas was here would probably mean telling them that he had been here the entire time. Was I ready to do that? Jason helped me decide when he cried out again. I grabbed onto his steel bicep. “Jason. There’s someone here who can help you. He was a good friend of mine when he was alive, and he still helps me now that he’s passed on. Yes, he’s a ghost. But when he was alive he was a vampire, and he can help the voices go silent in your head. Do you want him to help you?”
I could feel Matt and Carlos’ questioning looks on the back of my head, but I didn’t have time to deal with that now.
“He, he can really help me? What do I have to do?”
“You don’t have to do anything. You just have to let him inside you.”
“Will it hurt?”
“No. You’ll feel some pressure around your stomach, but it doesn’t hurt.”
“Oh….oh….okay.” he whispered as his hands clutched the sides of his head. I took a deep breath as I felt Jonas leave my body then I watched as Jason suddenly gripped his mid-section and he grunted. I grabbed his wrists and forced him to look at me, “Relax, Jason. Breathe. It’ll be over in a second.”
He nodded, then closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Then he looked at me and smiled, “Quiet. The voices are quiet now.”
“Jonas is doing that for you right now. But we will teach you how to do that yourself.”
I felt a hand rest gently on my lower back, so I stood up, turned and smiled at Matt.
“Was he with you inside, Sarah? Jonas, I mean. Was he in there with you?”
I could already see the hurt in his eyes. I glanced at Carlos and saw the jealousy and anger in his. Crap. I didn’t want to deal with this right now. For a split second I thought about lying then decided against it. “Now, guys? Do we have to do this now?” I cried.
“He was, dammit. He was in there and we weren’t,” Carlos hissed.
That made me angry, “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here right now. He gave me the answers to a few of the clues. He was in there because he was able to be in there because he’s a ghost. If I could have brought you two in there I would have.”
“But how did he get here? Can he just go wherever he wants to?”
I cringed slightly, “Well, no. He has to travel inside something, a vessel as it were.”
“And what vessel did he travel in?” Carlos spat, although he already knew the answer.
“Me, okay? He was inside me. But, please guys, he really helped me a lot when I was too tired to think. I was dying in there and he helped me with one of the final clues. I’d be gone if it weren’t for him. Are you really going to be angry with me? He saved my frickin life, again.”
They both fought with their emotions for a few seconds then both of them wrapped me in a hug, kissing me on the cheek and forehead. “He helped me, guys. That’s all it was, he helped me. Now can we please just go home?”
The two of them glanced at each other, then over at Bahiti, who barely shook her head.
“Oh God. What’s wrong now? We can’t go home?” I groaned.
“Well, not exactly. We can go to the island, but not Peru. Something’s happened,” Matt said.
Chapter Twelve
I sat in the shade of the palm tree, with my chin resting on my knees, mesmerized by the waves crashing to the shore.
“There you are. I’ve been wondering where you’ve been hiding,” Matt said as he took a seat next to me. He began gently rubbing my shoulders. “You’ve been awfully quiet these days, Sarah. Is everything okay?”
“You’re not serious, are you? No, everything is not okay. Forty-six vampires have died, so far, Matt. Forty-six ha
ve descended into the black depths of madness then had their skin melt off of their bodies until they dissolved into nothing. Forty-six, Matt, and we have no clue what it is that is causing this disease. So, no, I am not okay. I’m tired of this. I’m tired of having to fight for survival. I’m tired of running. I’m tired of hiding. I’m just tired.”
He said nothing. He understood and he felt the same way. He just continued to rub my shoulders. But his fingers kept hesitating slightly and it wasn’t long before I realized that he needed to say something, but he was afraid. Afraid of me. That’s funny. I smiled slightly. “It’s okay, Matt. What is it? What do you need?”
“It’s Jason. He’s getting frustrated. He wants Jonas out of him, but he still can’t create the silence on his own. It’s making him a difficult student.”
“So, in other words, he’s an angry teenager having a temper tantrum,” I said.
Matt thought for a second, then smiled slightly, “Yes, I guess he is.”
“Okay. Let me talk to him,” I said as I stood up and held my hand out to Matt, who beamed one of his smiles at me as he took it. We walked slowly back to the house. I held my arm out and swallowed Carlos into it as he waited for me on the porch. He smiled, sadly, and kissed me on the temple. I linked with him, ‘What’s wrong?’ I thought. He smirked and thought, ‘God, I can’t get anything by you, can I?’
‘Not a chance.’
‘I don’t know, Sarah. Something’s wrong. Something feels off to me. I was talking to David earlier. This disease. It almost feels familiar, but it’s not anything I remember. But I would swear I’ve read about it somewhere, but I can’t for the life of me think of where. Are you getting anything from the voices in your head, from our history?’
I shook my head, ‘Not that I’ve been able to find yet. It’s hard to filter through them all, though.’
We walked for a few more steps, when it hit me. “What about that history that Aquila has that we picked up from the church?”
“Excuse me?” Matt said, oblivious to the conversation that Carlos and I were having in our heads.
“Sorry honey. Carlos is thinking that something about this disease seems familiar, like he’s read about it somewhere. I haven’t been able to find anyone yet in my head who knows anything about it, so I was thinking maybe we could find something in that history that Aquila picked up from the church in Mexico.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll have Bahiti send it to Aduviri. I’ll take the boat over and pick it up from him.”
We walked inside. I looked at Jason, sitting on the couch, next to a tense Aquila. Jason looked at me, “Sarah, I feel like I ate too much and I’m about to burst. I can’t handle having him inside me anymore, but I don’t think I can silence the voices on my own.”
I smiled as I sat down and took his hand in mine. “Jason. Think of it this way. Those voices aren’t talking to you. They are just telling their stories to whoever needs to listen. You don’t need to listen now, so just turn down the volume. Close your eyes and picture a volume knob. Picture yourself turning it down to zero. Jonas, it’s okay. You can come out now.”
‘Are you sure, Sarah? I don’t think he’s ready.’
I smiled, “He’s ready Jonas. I have no doubt that he’s ready.”
Jason inhaled sharply, “He’s out,” he said as he took a few deep breaths. He cringed slightly but then I saw the determination in his eyes. “Okay,” he said, grimacing, “I can deal with it if it’s like this.”
I patted the back of his hand, “I knew you could.”
He smiled at me as I stood up. Aquila grabbed my hand, “Thank you, female,” he said, grinning, “I knew I chose well. You are an amazing mother.”
I blushed slightly as I smiled, “Thank you,” I whispered as I turned and headed back outside. “Where are you going, Sarah?” Matt said from behind me.
“I don’t know. I’m restless. I can’t stand just sitting around here doing nothing while our friends are hurting, Matt. It’s driving me crazy. I feel like I should be doing something, anything.”
“We are doing something, but we’re doing it safely, from here. We couldn’t very well help if we’re in Peru fighting this disease, can we?”
“I know you’re right, but I really hate this, you know?”
“Welcome to our world, Sarah,” Carlos said as he stepped onto the porch, “This is what we went through for months when you were locked in that damn tomb. It sucks, doesn’t it?”
We spent the next few days at our laptops, on our cell phones, doing anything we could think of to try to help research this disease. I hadn’t been able to find anything specific, but throughout our history there were times that elders called ‘the dark times.’ Periods: years, sometimes decades, where we were hit with some sort of plague that diminished our numbers to dangerously low levels. Then, just when there was talk of possible extinction, the disease just disappeared. No one had been able to pinpoint or identify what the disease was, and no one had been able to come up with a cure or an immunization. Once the disease disappeared, centuries went by before it was seen again so no one kept up the research over the centuries. Until now, the technology didn’t exist to keep samples around for long enough, or for doing the research. Most of it had been lost. But what was really starting to worry me was that the disease didn’t seem to be isolated to the compound in Peru. We were starting to see deaths throughout the world – which meant that we weren’t safe even isolated here out on our island. That fact was driven home like a sledgehammer early one morning about a month after we’d arrived at the island: We’d spent most of our days doing research, feeding, and sneaking off to the cave or the woods for some passionate, intense lovemaking. Sometimes I was with Carlos, sometimes with Matt, but always just amazingly wonderful. Then we would all sleep together in the main house, while Aquila and Jason shared the guest house. Although I could tell both of them were growing very restless and tense. I finally cornered Aquila and forced him to tell me why. “What’s going on with you two, Aquila? Something’s wrong, I can tell.”
“I can’t tell you, female. You wouldn’t understand,” he said.
“Try me. Let me help.”
He stared at me for a moment, “You can’t help this time, female. You helped me with this last time, but now it’s both of us.”
I was confused for a moment, but then it hit me. Aquila nodded as he saw the recognition in my eyes, “Yes. It’s time. We need to mate. For us it’s not just a desire. For us, it’s a need that will kill us if we don’t fulfill it. For Jason, as he approaches the end of his first year, it’s incredibly painful. If he doesn’t mate soon he could go mad from the pain.”
“Well, what, besides that, can I do to help?” I said, smiling.
“We need to get back to your compound. You have hundreds of female vampires living there. I’m sure we would each be able to find a willing mate. Truthfully, I already have. But I need to assist Jason with his search. He could just take, as we have always done in the past. But co-existence works better for both of our species if we don’t. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I nodded, “I agree. May I ask who you have found for your mate?”
“Bahiti. We bonded when you and Jason were in the tomb. Actually, she came to me and asked me to help her become a mother.”
My grin lit up my face, “Really? Oh, she will make an excellent mother. And she’s strong too.”
He nodded, “I wouldn’t have agreed if I didn’t think she was strong enough to make it through the pregnancy.”
“Okay. Staying away from the compound doesn’t seem to make anyone any safer. We’ll head back tomorrow morning. Will that work?” I said.
“That would be fine. Thank you, Sarah.”
We started to head back toward the house, when something streaked past me. “What the hell was that?”
Aquila shook his head, “I don’t know. But it wasn’t Jason, so it had to have been either Carlos or Matt.”
“SARAH!” Carlos shouted as he
ran up behind me. He grabbed my hand as he struggled to catch his breath. “I tried to stop him, Sarah. I caught him over the water and brought him back, but he managed to get free and I lost him again. I’m so sorry.”
“Who, Carlos? What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s Matt, Sarah. He’s lost his mind. He keeps talking about the bugs eating his skin, and the buzzing in his head, and the flashing lights. One minute he was sitting at his computer, the next he was scratching the skin off his arms saying it was on fire. This came out of nowhere, Sarah, fucking nowhere.”
I immediately shut my heart down and went into “battle” mode. I had to. If I stopped long enough to think about the fact that Matt was infected with what, up until now, had been a one hundred percent fatal disease. Well, that was something that I absolutely could not think about. “Carlos, you go left. I’m going to circle right. Aquila, can you please fly above us? See if he sneaks out through the trees or something?”
Aquila nodded and shot straight up in the air, stopping at about five hundred feet. His eagle eyes immediately scanned the skies. Carlos and I looked at each other. He quickly squeezed my hand then shot off into the trees. Seconds later, we met up at the other side of the island. “Anything?”