Meryl looked up and saw him sitting comfortably.
“I’ve had some riots caused by rumors.”
“What do you want?” Meryl asked with less force than she wished.
“Oh, come on. I have not had a good conversation with my older sister for a long time. Don’t be so harsh.” Epsilon stood up, walking closer to her with an evil smile that characterized him and frightened her. No doubt it was proof that he was not George.
“You’re not George,” Meryl murmured as she felt him behind her. It made her shiver. “George is gone.”
“Is that what you think?” Epsilon whispered in Meryl’s ear. “Let me tell you that makes things a lot easier.”
Meryl frowned in confusion. Epsilon’s words made no sense. Meryl turned her head a bit when she felt a caress on her cheek.
“There’s so much you don’t know. You’ve always been very innocent,” Epsilon continued in a strange tone of voice. “That has its charm. Although, it won’t matter in the end. You want me to get to the point and I will.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will. Come sit down and share a wonderful moment with me.” He gently pushed her toward where he was sitting when she arrived.
Meryl obeyed. She was unable to refuse. George. Or rather, Epsilon stood behind her. From where he stood he was able to perfectly get a terrifying grip on her. He put his arms around her shoulders. Meryl felt small and vulnerable. It provoked feelings that she didn’t like. His actions were too close, and not from the familiar point that she was accustomed.
“Actually Meryl, you’re the only woman who can give birth to a perfect child. You must understand that you and I are special. We were born with an extraordinary gift.”
“What are you talking about?” Meryl’s voice trembled without understanding why. Meryl’s body and her subconscious tried to warn her.
Epsilon rested his head on her shoulder and tightened his embrace.
“It’s not easy to betray our ancestor,” he said, giving her more senseless information. “He wants a son because he doesn’t want to feel alone. He is very dramatic. However, I intend to create a new race. A race far superior to those simply converted vampires. They are nothing Meryl. They were not born to be superior. We are. The world is our legacy. It rightfully belongs to us.”
Even sitting down Meryl felt her knees beginning to shake. Her inner voice was trying to tell her something that she could not quite hear, that she didn’t want to hear because if she was right, it would be the most disgusting thing in the world.
“And you will give me that wonderful future.”
There it was. Her stomach began to have horrible contractions and threatened to expel everything inside in an effort to purify itself. Meryl could have dealt with anything, but that, never.
“No ... you have to ...,” Meryl swallowed hard, “be kidding ...”
“No, dear. I’m not. You have already said that George died and I am Epsilon. Anyway, no matter what’s in your little head.” Epsilon kissed the back of her neck. It caused her nausea to increase. “You cannot deny me. It will be done and it will be done sooner than you think. In fact, it’s not happening right now because you’re important, too important to me. So I’ll give you two days to prepare yourself mentally, Meryl. I will make you mine by force if necessary, and as many times as necessary until you become pregnant.”
Meryl couldn’t hear any more. She placed a hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t vomit. She heard a laugh. It was not a joke. It was not a bluff. He was serious, and because of his scathing tone, Meryl was completely convinced that he would force himself on her, her brother. No, Meryl couldn’t deal with that.
The door opened, letting in the man who had brought her to Epsilon. Thank heavens. He would take her and leave her with, Johana. She would be far from Epsilon, gloriously far away.
“By the way, Meryl.”
Meryl turned her head as the man grabbed her tightly. She thanked him, for it kept her standing when she looked into Epsilon’s brilliant black eyes that showed the state of his emotions. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’ll have to kill Caleb. He’s organizing a revolution that could end up in war. And he’s doing it for you. It’s exciting, right?” He smiled.
It was almost as if Meryl was the one who pulled the huge man out of there by force. She had to get out of the room as soon as possible. She had to get to her room. She couldn’t stand her upset stomach. Meryl needed to talk to Johana immediately and tell her everything.
As soon as the door opened Meryl saw her friend watching her with a worried face. Johana ran toward her. Meryl ignored her and ran into the bathroom. She vomited. Vomited everything that she had eaten.
“Meryl! What the hell is going on?” Johana knelt beside her and held her hair. “Good heavens. What have you done to make yourself sick like this?”
“My God, my God ...” Meryl cried until her stomach was empty. “I can’t do this ...”
“Fuck, Meryl. Tell me what happened!”
Uncertainty made Johana hysterical, Meryl acting like this was not normal. The girl kept up appearances better than anyone. Johana could not imagine what had brought Meryl to this state. Johana made herself relax, swallowed, she wiped away Meryl’s tears as she continued to cry and dragged her to the bed. Meryl instinctively grabbed her so tightly that Johana could feel pain in her ribs, but she let it go. Meryl was completely out of her mind. Johana lay down beside her and hugged her as tightly as she could. Johana hoped it would make Meryl feel better.
One hour passed, then another, little by little the crying was stopping, but Meryl’s body kept trembling.
“Tell me, Meryl,” Johana whispered. “I need to know what happened. What did he do to you?”
“I can’t, Johana,” Meryl sobbed, “to speak of it is just as horrible.”
“Arm yourself with courage, my friend. I will help you in whatever I can.”
“With whatever you can?” Meryl repeated, and Johana felt Meryl’s head move to look at her. Johana did the same. “You’ll have to kill me, Johana. You’ll kill me before it happens. Please, please ... you have to.”
Johana looked at Meryl in tears. Meryl started to cry once again and Johana didn’t know what to say. Meryl’s request to kill her was the last thing she would have expected, and she hadn’t prepared to hear it.
“Before what happens?” Johana managed to ask with pursed lips.
“Before he forces me to give him a child,” Meryl whispered softly, but at once Johana sensed the horror Meryl felt in her words.
Johana’s mind began to work at full power. Give her a child? But they were siblings? Disgusting, unthinkable.
“Did he say that?” Johana asked with difficulty.
“Yes. For God’s sake Johana. I can’t. I can’t do such an atrocity. I don’t want to.” Meryl hugged her friend again with an inhuman force. Johana let out a sigh without knowing what to say. There were no words of consolation for such a situation.
It didn’t make sense. Johana didn’t understand the reason for an act for which there was no word capable of truly describing its significance. “I need you to tell me everything he told you, Meryl. It’s very important that you tell me everything.”
Tell her? Meryl didn’t understand what she had been told. Only his last words were recorded in her mind, his evil intentions. And every time Meryl’s mind remembered, the desire to vomit grew again and caused a pain deep inside. Finally, she managed to arm herself with courage and began to tell Johana everything she remembered.
“Listen to me, Meryl.” Johana moved away from Meryl and held her face in both hands to force her to meet her eyes. “I won’t let him touch a single hair on your head. Do you hear me? We have two days to plan something. It won’t happen. It will not happen.” Johana spelled out.
“Promise me ... promise me that before he does it
. You will kill me. I couldn’t live with that Johana. I beg you. It’s so disgusting. It makes me so nauseous.
“Yes, I promise you,” Johana answered, overcome by pleading.
Was she capable of killing her? No, she loved Meryl like a sister, but a part of her mind imagined the situation and she herself would want to be dead before such an act could take place. Johana also realized what would happen to her as soon as she took Meryl’s life, but it would be fine. They would both die, choosing their fate. However, Johana would not give up without a fight. Without trying to flee by all means necessary. Automatically she started plotting their escape, but it was difficult without any help. They were close to the lowest floors, but from what Meryl had told her and what she could see when they were taken. The building was filled with vampires. She was going to have to get help and knew who to start with. The girl who brought them food was human, and her knowing glances opened a door to hope.
The girl would soon bring dinner. Johana was trying to engineer something that would give her time to talk to her. Since she usually walked, left all the food and left, there would be some kind of surveillance.
Completely exhausted, Meryl lay on the bed and finally fell asleep while sobbing. Johana paced in the room, thinking of everything and nothing at the same time. She looked at the ground. Their situation was bad, very bad. If they couldn’t get out only death waited for the both of them. As Johana sighed in frustration the door opened and the young woman entered. She watched them both and frowned as her eyes connected with Johana.
The girl approached the table where she left everything she brought in. As soon as she put the huge tray on the table Johana ran and threw it, scattering food everywhere. In just a few seconds a head appeared through the doorway. The vampires’ eyes narrowed, and he snorted.
“Clean that right up, right now.”
Johana crouched next to the young woman. She had to speak as low as possible or the man outside would hear her words and it would bring them more problems than they already had.
“I’m sorry, but I needed time to talk to you.” The short-haired girl looked at Johana in confusion. “You have to help us. We have to get out of here, right now.”
“I…”
“I know I’m asking you for something impossible,” Johana cut her off, “but it’s life or death. If we don’t get out of here in less than two days, we’ll have to die.”
“I was going to say that I’ll help you,” the young woman finished, leaving Johana completely confused and frowning. “We know who you are. The rumors have spread everywhere. They are creating an army.”
“What army?”
“I don’t have much time to answer questions. I don’t know why you say that you have two days, but we were preparing a coup for a week.”
“There is no time,” Johana cut off her words nervously. “Whatever you have prepared it must be done soon.”
“I’ll talk to the others with the resistance. If we free you, Caleb will have to help us with his army,” she continued, pleading with her eyes. “Yes, he is organizing a war that will change the world. It’s the only thing that is talked about everywhere,” she finished whispering and stood up suddenly when the door was opened again by the guard.
The woman was pushed out of the room and never took her eyes off of Johana’s. She tried to convey to Johana that she would do anything possible to help. They now depended on help to be set free. It would save the both of them.
“Meryl! Meryl!” Johana ran to the bed and tried to shake her awake. “We did it. We’re getting out of here.”
“How?”
“I’ve talked to the girl who brings us the food. The resistance is here. They’ll get us out. I told her it has to be soon, by tomorrow at the latest.”
“I don’t understand anything,” Meryl murmured, rubbing her tired eyes.
“Caleb has created an army, Meryl. He has challenged Epsilon, and they are going to go to war.”
“That’s why Epsilon said he had to kill Caleb.”
“Omega’s resistance believes that if they save us, Caleb will help them. They know who we are. Who you are.”
“Me?”
“That’s what it seems like. We didn’t have time to speak, but as soon as we’re free. I swear I’ll ask questions for hours.”
Meryl lay on the bed again. The tension left and her whole body relaxed. She felt a little discomfort but she didn’t care. The new information left her emotional. Meryl was relieved to know that someone would help them but she was terrified of what Caleb was doing. He was exposing himself to certain death, for her, to save her. Meryl wanted to see him, to hold him, and to cry like a brat in his arms. She felt helpless.
Night came and they had hardly slept. They were so nervous waiting for the moment that their minds couldn’t calm down and let them rest. Johana hoped that that same night everything would start. The vampires were too reliant on the darkness and the security measures diminished, but it was past twelve and not a sound or signal reached them.
“Damn it! I was almost sure they would come at night,” Johana snorted, opening the window wide.
“Maybe she couldn’t convince them at all.” The hope she had felt hours ago disappeared, leaving a heartbreaking feeling.
“I don’t think so. I made it very clear that if we didn’t get out of here in two days we would be dead.”
Meryl took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was the first time she was so desperate and close to death since the day she woke up. Her mind couldn’t process what was happening. So, unintentionally, she remembered the last stage of her life as if it were a movie. Good heavens, so many new and wonderful things had happened. Her eyes got misty when she thought of Caleb’s mansion, her new home. She missed being there with them.
Boom! A gigantic explosion made the whole building shake.
“What was that?” Johana shouted, ran to the door and began to pound on it.
Screams and shouts broke the night’s silence. It had to be them, the resistance. Meryl went to Johana and pushed her away from the door. That place was not safe. If she was right they had just used a high-powered explosive. They stayed at a safe distance away from the door. They were nervous and terrified. They waited without looking away from the door. They wished that someone would get them out of there immediately.
Time passed by slowly. Or maybe it seemed like it because of the nerves they both felt. They couldn’t leave the room. The door was always locked from the outside. If the resistance continued using those small bombs the building would be affected.
They both jumped as the door smashed open with a blow. They saw a leg. That couldn’t have been done by a human, A teenage boy with red eyes and blond hair walked inside. He stared at both of them. They saw the hardness in his eyes. If Epsilon had sent him they would fight to the last breath to be free.
“Run!” they heard a feminine voice that was familiar to Johana. “We can’t fight them all,” she yelled from the hallway.
Meryl and Johana looked at each other without speaking. At once they both nodded and walked to the boy that had just broken the door that held them captive, looked at him suspiciously, and they went out into the hall. There was so much dust that they couldn’t see, but their rescuer soon made an appearance to guide them out. He didn’t speak at any time.
It was a complete disaster. Johana and Meryl didn’t know who was a friend and who was an enemy. There weren’t only humans fighting. There were also vampires fighting against each other. Were they part of the resistance? It didn’t make sense for them to help. Meryl and Johana had many questions that they needed to find an answer to.
Melody N⁰ 5
Omega
The streets they walked through were terrifying, drawn from the imagination of the most disturbed mind. The darkness covered everything, but it was a darkness that went beyond the blanket that covered the sun
and the people. She could see pain in the eyes of the people. It was something so difficult to describe that Meryl felt like a ghostly hand grabbed her heart to squeeze slowly. The pain of those empty eyes had been caused by her own blood. How could she remedy the damage that was done? There was no way to create a balance.
People fought in the night. They took advantage of the revolt created at Epsilon’s base of operation. They knew that no guard would come to punish them. They used the moment of confusion in the city for personal revenge. A few hours of complete freedom plunged the entire city into utter chaos, and the girls were only spared by the company of the mysterious vampire who was soon joined by two vampires, plus three humans belonging to the resistance.
“Dear God!” Meryl shouted as a man fell from somewhere over their heads. His body burst open as it hit with all the force of gravity against the hard concrete floor. Things scattered that Meryl would have preferred to never see. “This is insane!”
“We’d better hurry. People are getting more and more out of control,” said the last man to join the group, one of the humans. “Let’s use small streets to get to the base. I don’t even want to think about what is happening downtown.”
“The people should take this opportunity to rise up,” Johana said with a nod as she saw two men beat another to a pulp. “I don’t understand why they get mad at each other.”
“The stories you’ve heard about this place are actually nice compared to what really happens. The majority of citizens in Omega are mentally unable to fight back against the vampires. They have been taught and shown that to go against their lords will only get them killed in a horrible way. Executions are frequent, and it is mandatory to attend, even the youngest children have to attend.
Meryl let out a sigh.
“And I suppose they end up holding frustrations, hatred, and all negative feelings against their peers.”
“That’s right,” said the second man. “Some of us got lucky. We opened our eyes or had them opened.”
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