Exsanguinate

by Killion Slade

  More, I want more.

  The blood tasted like pomegranates. It was the most remarkable flavor I’d ever experienced. I drank deep, gulping swallows. Not very ladylike I was sure. I heard laughter from all around me. Satiated, I brought the chalice away from my lips. Everyone at the table cheered. We enjoyed the rest of the meal full of succulent crab, lobster, shell fish, and fruit. I ate and drank as if I never would enjoy such a meal again.

  Thank the gods and goddesses they didn’t make me sacrifice a virgin or summon a demon.

  As we stood up to leave the table, Lord Stovall turned to me. “I’ve decided that Khaldon here will be your pedagogue.”

  Amicula gasped in shock.

  Stovall raised his hand to quiet her objection. “Normally, I assign a same sex tutor of sorts, but yours is quite a unique situation, Miss O’Cuinn, which may require an additional skill set, so to speak.”

  “I would be most honored, My Lord.” Khaldon bowed and then stood taller than I had seen yet.

  I nodded at the two men who just determined my fate, still not sure what all this pedagogue business was about. I just hoped it had something to do with more comfortable clothes.

  Stovall walked us upstairs out of the galley and onto the bow of the ship. A brilliant sunset with red blazing hues crossed the sky into orange melding into a deep indigo. The sun would be below the horizon soon. We sat on chaise lounges. Stovall lit up a cigar and offered me one. I declined but instead picked up a chocolate truffle offered to me from a crystal tray. An explosion of amaretto, almonds, caramel, and blood oranges danced in my mouth. Never had chocolate ever tasted so divine.

  “Pretty good, huh?” Khaldon laughed at me.

  Grabbing another chocolate before the tray went away I moaned in delight answering his question.

  “Your sisters.” Puffs of smoke circled Stovall’s face and head. “What do we know of them?”

  “That’s just it, we don’t.” I licked my fingers. “The police are stumped. Clueless. They weren’t in the same place where I was attacked in the theme park. As far as I know all three of us were in separate locations.”

  “That’s odd. It’s as if each of you were set up,” Khaldon said. “Do you know of any reason why you would be targeted?”

  “No. Not at all.” Shaking my head, I asked, “Have you had any reports on humans being taken anywhere by these rogue vampires? How many of them are out there?”

  “We have not,” Stovall softly spoke. “Truthfully, we do not have many rogues in this area. They tend to live out west. Most rogues do not bother a soul and simply want to live their lives in peace - away from any current political climes. There have been whole families who wish to be left alone.” He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. “However, our dear Queen Civetateo,” Stovall pointed to Amicula who was gazing into the water, “Amicula’s Auntie, does not concur. She wishes each and every vampire be accounted for and under her rule.”

  “Where is this Queen?” My eyes darted over to Amicula. I whispered to Lord Stovall. “Does she live on the same planet as us?”

  “That’s rich. Now we’re vampires in space.” Amicula laughed at loud. “What movie is that from, Cheyenne?”

  Obviously, there was no such thing as a private conversation around vampires. She seemed to have the same sense of hearing that I possessed. “Lifeforce 1985.” I held my head up high. “Vampires in space arrive in London and infect the planet. It starred Patrick Stewart.”

  “Seriously. I was joking.” She chuckled again, but this time a little more guarded, while others looked at her.

  “Look it’s okay if you want to make fun of me, dress me up in UnderWorld clothes, whatever. I’m thankful you chose to save my life, but truthfully right now I don’t give a rat’s ass how much entertainment value I am.” I stood up and faced Amicula, mimicking her practiced smile. “I need to locate my sisters and take care of my family. That is all I care about.”

  “Here’s what we’ll do for you, Cheyenne.” Stovall stood up and looked pointedly at Amicula and then back at me. “We will make every concerted effort to determine if your sisters are with vampires. If they are not, we will help you flush out the human scum to rescue them. We cannot pretend they are still alive. You must be ready to face whatever predator may be holding them. If I were you, I would ask Mr. Seters here about learning a few of the finer vampiric arts to help you understand your new dynamics.”

  I gave Stovall a puzzled look, but he responded, “There is much for you to learn, Miss O’Cuinn. Please keep in mind – we are also your new family.”

  Set in my place, I listened.

  “I’ve made the right decision. Khaldon here will assist you on your journey and hopefully can help you uncover your sisters’ whereabouts.”

  “There’s a big storm coming up out of the Gulf tonight. Looks to be a doozie.” Our time on the boat drew to a close when Stovall put on a windbreaker and boat shoes.

  I gave a head bow to him and reached out to his arm, “I didn’t mean any disrespect. Thank you for your kindness and hospitality. Am I free to go now? I’m anxious to get home to my father.”

  “I’ve seen to his safety. But yes, you should go now. We’ll be in touch when we learn more about what is going on in the area. Communications will be issued to learn if other clans have unregistered activities.”

  I smiled at him. My heart full of joy, I stepped toward him and wrapped my arms around his neck nd planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for not killing me. I don’t understand why all this happened, but you’ve helped me feel closer to finding my sisters than anyone has.”

  “Not to worry, Khaldon here will take you home.” Stovall seemed taken aback and waved his hand. “He needs to know where you live so he can keep a close watch out. Good night, Miss O’Cuinn. Take care of yourself . I’ll be in touch.”

  It wasn’t until Khaldon had us parked at my penthouse that I allowed my guard to stand down, and took in another deep breath. I sat in the passenger seat and didn’t move. How was I going to face my dad?

  Khaldon broke the silence first. “I’m not going to lie to you. It’ll take a while before all this sinks in, Cheyenne.”

  I just stared at him.

  “You okay?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t want to lose control and attack my father or my dog.”

  “All right. C’mon, let’s get you settled. Your father will be fine. You consumed a considerable amount of bloodwine at the dinner. You should be well satiated for a few days.”

  “How often do I need to consume? I don’t want to kill any more kids like that.” I popped open the car door handle. Anxious to get out of these pants and heels, I wanted to throw on shorts and a hoodie. “I’m conflicted. I feel terrible for killing those kids, but in other ways, it doesn’t bother me as much as it should. The human side to me is experiencing serious difficulties and disgust with this. The vampire side is completely indifferent to it. I’m not entirely sure what to do right now. Are you supposed to stay with me until I can be trusted?”

  “No. Not necessarily. But I can if you want.” Khaldon put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure you have a ton of questions. I can help smooth some of those over if you like. But as far as the feedings go, no vampire is perfect. Many prefer live feedings over the bloodwines. I’ll show you how to find solace in dealing with your human emotions, and a better way to obtain your live blood, so you don’t have to kill anyone. Believe it or not, there is a whole human underground network which has devoted their lives to vampires. The movies aren’t always wrong.” He winked at me.

  I pushed the button beckoning the elevator to take us to my penthouse. The ride in the lift seemed as if it would never end as an awkward silence wedged in between us.

  My key snicked in the deadbolt and prompted me to scan my thumb print into the digital reader. The internal lock tumbled away as the door opened. I turned my head and looked at Khaldon. “How did you guys get into my apartment without me? The locks are programm
ed for four digital prints. None of you had access.”

  “I believe Amicula took an impression of your thumb print while you were in fugue. We needed to make sure everything was all right at your house.”

  I made a mental note to change security to a retinal scanner.

  I opened the door. “Daddy? Daddy, are you here?” I dropped my keys onto the foyer table and walked through the house from room to room. I came back and saw Khaldon looking at my commissioned Steve Hanks painting. He put several bottles of bloodwine on the table.

  “Maybe he’s in the shower?”

  I walked into the living room and found a note on the coffee table.

  It read:

  Cheyenne,

  Harris took me back to my house in Clearwater. I hope you’re okay. Please call me when you get home. Thank you for letting me sleep. The shrimp spaghetti was delicious.

  Love- Dad

  A voice greeted me as Padme’s hologram walked around the corner from the kitchen. Khaldon stepped backwards.

  “Good evening, Cheyenne.”

  “Did you – is this your program?” Khaldon stared at Padme and walked towards her.

  “Yep – that’s one of my first prototypes,” I nodded. “Padme, please welcome Mr. Khaldon Seters.”

  “Good evening, Mr. Seters, it is very nice to meet you. Can I offer you a refreshment?”

  “Please, call me Khaldon, and no thank you. She is simply brilliant!” Khaldon stared at Padme and poked his finger through her holographic body image.

  “Careful, she might bite.” I chomped my teeth at him.

  Khaldon quickly retreated his hand as I laughed at him. Handing him the note, I asked, “Someone cooked for my father and he thinks it was me?”

  “Yes, to him you weren’t really gone. His memories think you’ve been safe and sound here at the house. He believes you went out for a walk with Beano on the beach.”

  “How is that possible?” I checked inside my office. Nothing seemed missing.

  Khaldon followed me in and fingered the fabric of the blue 3D holo-rendering suit hanging up on the coat rack. He stretched it out to look at it and then gestured for me to explain.

  “Oh, that. I design online role-playing games. That’s a motion capture body suit.”

  He nodded and released the fabric and followed me out of the room. “How we manipulated your father is one of those topics we’ll need to discuss. It’s called mind messaging. You use it when necessary to help erase, absolve, or manipulate the humans around you in case something odd happens.”

  Puzzled, I looked at him.

  He continued to look around my house. “Have you ever driven to work and wondered how in the world you got there?”

  “Yeah, I did that several times going to class in the morning. It wasn’t until after first period chemistry that I even recalled getting to school in the first place.”

  “Exactly. We can do the same thing when needed. It’s a simple suggestion for memory alteration. Things will be a little fuzzy for him, but as soon as he hears from you, everything will be right as rain.”

  “Padme, please dial my father’s phone.”

  “Cheyenne, would you like to call his cellular or land line?”

  “Try both.”

  Sure enough, after the second ring Daddy answered the phone. He was home in Clearwater and thanked me again for a lovely dinner. He said he was going to go back to sleep.

  Dammit – I never got those multi-vitamins to him.

  He proceeded to tell me that the vitamins had helped. I walked into the kitchen and checked the fridge. My groceries had also been put away. I told him I would see him in the next couple of days but to call me if he heard anything about Dakota or Sheridan.

  “Padme, end transmission.”

  “You see, everything is as it was. Your dad is all right.” Khaldon walked around Padme’s holographic image still mesmerized. “Damn, Chey – this is unreal.”

  “Okay – so everything’s right in the world. I still feel violated that all this has happened, and y’all trampled over my life to cover it up. I need to contact a few people and let them know I’m all right. I’m just really weirded out right now. I need some time to get myself together.”

  “No worries. Look, I’m only a few minutes away in Kissimmee.” Khaldon had picked up on my hint. “Call me if you need anything.” He reached into his wallet and handed me a green card with just a phone number on it. He thumbed his fist toward my kitchen. “You want me to put those bottles in the fridge for you or do you want them at room temperature?”

  “Dunno.” I turned the card over in my hand. “I hadn’t thought about it. I haven’t had it cold.”

  “It’s great over ice and with a little lemon-lime spritzer on the hot days.” The silly grin returned.

  “Gourmet bloodwine huh? I guess one day I’ll ask how that is made.” My mouth betrayed my thirst while my stomach roiled in flip flops. “I think I have an idea, but right now I just want to go to bed and not think about it.”

  “Fair enough. You’ve got my card. I’ll see you tomorrow regardless so we can go over The Vampyric Canons. Get some rest.” Khaldon smiled at me.

  It was an awkward moment. Was I supposed to shake his hand, give him a hug, or something?

  “Yeah, okay.” I decided motion was the best thing. Thunder pounded the pavement as we exited the building. He left in a gentlemanly fashion and didn’t make me feel uncomfortable in any way.

  “Looks like the rain gods are going to deluge us tonight. Drive safe.”

  Khaldon looked back at me and waved.

  Did I really just tell a vampire to drive safe?

  I lay in my bed wrapped up in my Hello Kitty blanket and thought about what I needed to do next in my life. Harris and the guys were taking care of ExsanguiNation, so that left me free to find out more about what happened that night I was attacked.

  Coming to grips with my new life would take time. More than anything I wanted to know what rogue vampire could have done this to me and why. In fact, the more I thought about how he bit me, drained me, poisoned me, and left me for dead with the rest of the casualties, it downright pissed me off.

  Thankful to be alive, in whatever capacity, I vowed to find this rogue vampire and kill him at whatever cost to my soul.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The Penthouse

  Even though I was exhausted, I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t feel safe knowing Amicula had been in my house.

  “Padme, please change the front door security fingerprint verification to left ring finger.”

  “Scanning, please wait while I upload the change sequence,” Padme responded.

  “Okay.”

  “Cheyenne, please initiate the manual override protocols.”

  I typed into my master alarm console and reset all entry codes. I felt better knowing no one else could get into the house now without the additional security codes in place.

  I grabbed my laptop and checked my email, and chat mailbox inside the game platform. I looked for any word from Roxas since he’d left the hospital room on the day I went into fugue. I still don’t understand how I blacked out for so long and not even know it.

  I dialed his number again, but with no luck. He didn’t answer his mobile, the office line, nor was he logged into the ExsanguiNation portal. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I left him a message on our intranet, hoping nothing had happened to scare him off. I understood a lot was going on in my life. I couldn’t halfway blame him for not wanting to get any further involved.

  “You have a phone call from an unknown origin,” Padme announced.

  I wondered if Roxas had to go home to Egypt or something. Without so much as a “Hello” from the other end, I said, “Thank goodness. I’ve been so worried about you. Where have you been?”

  “I appreciate the sentiment, but have you found your sisters yet?” a vaguely familiar voice returned over the line.

  “What? Do you know where they are?” I reached for the be
dside table to steady myself. “Who is this?”

  “I know a great many things about you, Miss Cheyenne O’Cuinn.” The voice chided me from the other end of the line. “I’m Dakota’s boyfriend, Ludovic. Remember me? I sat next to you while we watched When a Stranger Calls on movie night with you and your sisters just two weeks ago.”

  “Ludovic, are you okay?” My throat squeezed tight. Still not comprehending, I choked out the only words my brain could produce. “Where is Dakota? Have you seen Sheridan?”

  “Don’t worry about me, my pet. Your precious sisters are well taken care of. But if you ever want to see them alive once again, you need to follow my explicit instructions.”

  Lightning struck outside with pounding thunder seconds after it.

  “Wh-What?” I tried to wrap my mind around his words. “What have you done with them?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?”

  “No. Nothing has been obvious to me lately.” Blackness tunneled in across my vision. I choked as if there weren’t enough oxygen in the room. “Where are you, and why are you doing this to us?”

  “If you want to find your precious Sheridan and Dakota, you need to login to ExsanguiNation. Go find the haunted barn by the cornfield. Do you understand, my pet?”

  “What does the game have to do with this?” I ran my hand through my hair frantically pulling it out of my face.

  “Everything! You have one hour to find it and follow the instructions. If you don’t find it, then you’ll receive body parts from Fed Ex to your condo.”

  Afraid of what he might say next, I gulped. He knew where I lived. Vampire or not, I wasn’t safe anymore. Maybe I never had been.

  “Okay, okay I’ll be there. Where is the haunted barn? I’ve never programmed a barn in the game.”

  “Of course you haven’t, idiot, I did.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Tut tut tut, that’s no way to talk to a fellow vampire now is it?”