by Tish Thawer
I came to the edge of town in a matter of seconds. I glanced at the highway sign and found that I was in Mt. Vernon, a small town outside of Springfield, Missouri.
Okay, maybe I would just feed and catch a few hours sleep and move onto to somewhere else. From every history lesson I could remember, besides Missouri being the 24th state admitted to the Union, and the birthplace of Harry Truman, I didn't recall anything else about Missouri that would be considered amazing.
Oh wait! Yes, I did. Missouri was where Samuel Clemens, writing as Mark Twain, penned The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Little did people know that the story was set around his real life in Hannibal, Missouri, including the caves where Indian, or Injun Joe had hid; they––and many other details from his books––were real and could be toured to this very day. Excited by my recollection, I was suddenly consumed by the idea of checking out and possibly hiding in these exact caves.
I stumbled at the thought...Hide? Why in the world would I need to hide? The emotions warring inside my mind were making me dizzy. Literally, I felt like I was weaving on my feet. I didn't think I needed to feed again, but one minute I was fine and fearless, and the next I felt paranoid and wracked with fear.
I made my way into town, using the shadows of the old buildings to conceal my movements. Mt. Vernon had a historical feel that seemed antiquated until you looked closer; in reality, it was just really old. No businesses were open, and no one was out walking to provide me with an easy meal so I decided to find a place to sleep; I would just wait until the town woke and feed in the morning instead.
I raced through the dark streets, looking for the perfect place to spend the night. Finally, I saw a lumber mill at the end of the street. It looked promising and would provide plenty of places to hide. I leapt high into the rafters and curled up into a ball behind the large stores of wood and welcomed the oblivion of sleep. Too bad, all I got were nightmares instead. Nightmares of stone and blood, demons and vampires, humans and death. I felt myself connecting to every aspect of these disturbing scenes as if I was the main character in each role: the human girl being sacrificed, the demon queen delivering the killing blow, the vampire princess drinking the blood. The images swirled and melded together and then I was staring at a replica of myself flying up into the air. A scary-ass replica. I had dark hair and crimson eyes, much as I did now, but instead of my fangs being pointed and dainty, they were jagged razors, extending past my lower lips, but that wasn't the worst part. The thing that freaked me out the most were the black wings that had sprouted from my back.
Jolting upright I quickly leapt into a defensive stance. I knew within seconds no one was actually attacking me, but as I settled back to sleep, I couldn't shake the feeling there was now something out there that I should fear.
* * * * *
(Christian)
As I pulled onto the highway, I had no idea which way to go. Rose could have run north and already be in Canada, or maybe to the west and was hanging out in Arizona by now. But the one thing I did know was that Terrance was right; I needed to stock up on blood bags for my trip, and with the sun approaching in just a few hours, it was imperative I find somewhere safe to sleep.
While the sun didn't burn us, once it rose we were rendered comatose and wouldn't rise again until it set. If I were to remain somewhere in the open and be discovered, I'm sure I'd wake up in the morgue, as I would appear dead to anyone who found me. That was why all vampire clans maintained a secure lair, usually below ground, as a way to guarantee their safety.
As I drove toward the nearest hospital, I thought about The Rising Pit and our lair deep beneath it. It had been the perfect cover for our family. We all worked in the club at night and retired to the pit below before morning. It was going to be weird not waking up in my own bed for the first time in years.
It only took a few minutes on the freeway before I came to the exit that would lead me to the hospital. Turning into the parking lot of St. Mary's Regional, I was suddenly hit with an idea. If Rose was really as bad as everyone thought, maybe I would just have to watch the news and look for an increase number of injuries or deaths due to attacks and massive blood loss to find out where she was. While I wanted to smile at the fact that I now had a semi-decent plan to follow, the idea of Rose killing and hurting people wiped the thought from my mind. How could I smile when the love of my life, the woman I'd longed to spend eternity with, was now lost to me and probably losing herself more and more with each passing minute?
I exited the car and walked toward the emergency entrance. I hoped that there weren't very many people in need of medical care this evening, because I really didn't want to have to waste time biting and using my sedative to erase my appearance here tonight from everyone's mind.
Luckily, the nurse behind the counter was preoccupied with the elderly man who seemed to be complaining of chest pains. I used the distraction to fly through the nearby door and search for the hospital's blood bank. It only took seconds before I found the refrigerated room. I quickly grabbed a large self-cooling container and quickly filled it with bags; I didn't care what the blood type was. I felt bad about taking any of it, but I especially didn't want to take just one type, leaving them depleted for those in need of that particular kind.
I hadn't run into anyone, since to most I was just a breeze of wind, but as I got back in my car, I wondered if there had been any cameras in the blood bank that I should have taken out. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to worry about it and I figured if anyone did try to come after me, I would just have to risk biting them and erase the memory of why they were there.
I turned back onto the highway and tried to think of a safe place to sleep for the night, when suddenly my claircognizance flared to life. I instantly knew exactly where to go. Jillian's.
Rose's best friend might have some ideas of where Rose would have fled to. Plus, somehow I knew that I'd be safe staying in her home for the night. I took the next exit and quickly found my way to Jillian's house. Her car was in the driveway and there was only one light on in the upstairs window. It was close to morning, so I wasn't sure if she had stayed up late or if she was an early riser. Either way, I knew this was exactly where I needed to be, but was still unsure why.
I parked across the street and quickly drained two blood bags before transferring the cooler to the trunk of my car. I wouldn't need any more blood until after I rose tomorrow night.
Walking across the street and up to Jillian's front door had me on edge. I wasn't sure exactly what to say, or if I would be forced to have some sort of confrontation with her parents, but luckily, when I knocked on the door, Jillian opened it with a smile on her face.
"Hi, Christian. I wondered how long it would take you to show up."
* * * * *
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Funeral
(Meredith)
After hanging up with the realtor, I realized it was almost time for me to head to Damien's funeral. As anxious as I was to start the search for our new home, I simply couldn't miss the opportunity to talk to Raúl. If I got him to take over where Damien left off, we'd be back on track in creating my army within the week.
Jeremy had already left for work after a morning of utter bliss. We'd made love after waking, both excited about the new prospects for our future. It was a good day. I'd thought about introducing some human blood to Jeremy as well, to kick start his immortal genes, but I couldn't risk mixing it with mine in case it affected our mind bond in some unexpected way. So for now, he'd just have to remain the clueless demon man I loved.
As I pulled out of the driveway, I took an extra moment to look back at my house. My happiness faded slightly at the thought of leaving my home permanently. Like Jeremy had pointed out, I had lived here for such a long time. But it wasn't the idea of moving somewhere else that was upsetting to me, but instead, the fact that I was being forced to do so by a bunch of vampires who wanted me dead. To say it pissed me off was putting it mildl
y. I'd always thought of becoming immortal and creating my army as a defensive maneuver, but now, with the "message" they had left me in the park, maybe my efforts would need to become more offensive instead.
As I pulled into the funeral home's parking lot, I continued to contemplate what a change of plans like that would mean exactly. I'd always thought I'd just hole up and be prepared in case they came after me, but now...it looked like planning an attack may have to be my next move.
"Hello, Meredith. Thank you so much for coming." Thankfully Raúl was the first one to greet me as I walked through the white double doors. It wasn't that I felt uncomfortable being here, but just that I hadn't really had any interaction with Damien's extended family besides seeing them at our demon meetings.
"Of course, Raúl. It's just so horrible what happened."
The slight tilt to his head made me nervous. Raúl and a few select others were very aware of what Damien and I had been doing, and suddenly I worried that maybe they'd put two and two together and figured out that it was me who'd killed their cousin.
"He'd be so pleased you came. I know he had developed some pretty strong feelings for you."
All I could do was nod my head and clasp his hand. I had no idea that Damien had shared his "feelings" for me with anyone else. I wasn't comfortable with the idea of him talking about me to other people, which meant talking to Raúl later had yet another purpose. I had to find out what all Damien had told them.
"Will there be a wake afterwards?"
"Yes, actually, it's in the same place where we held our meetings. My mother thought it was fitting, as he was truly responsible for bringing us all together. We'd all be pleased if you'd join us; we have a pretty big surprise to share with you."
Shit. I did not like surprises.
"Of course, I'll be there."
I sat through Damien's funeral, listening to sobs and prayers. So far, nothing was being said by the priest or family members that sounded like they thought I was to blame, but who knew? Maybe they were holding back to keep up appearances for the non-demon attendees. I started getting nervous that once we arrived at the meeting site they'd all end up turning on me. As anxiety filled my thoughts, I decided I'd have to find a human to drink from on the drive to the wake. That way, if they did try anything, I'd be freshly juiced and unstoppable. No one had been drinking blood as long as I had, and therefore, wouldn't even come close to my strength or speed. I hoped that I didn't have to fight Damien's family, but if I was forced to...I would.
As the funeral came to an end, I made sure to catch Raúl before heading out to my car. "That was a beautiful service. Are you headed straight to the wake?"
"Yes, I have to help clear and transport all the flower arrangements, but I'll be there soon."
I smiled and tried to gauge his reactions. "All right, is there anything I can do to help?"
"Yes, actually, we could use some cups."
"No problem, I'll stop and pick some up then meet you there." This gave me the perfect excuse to delay my trip and feed.
As I left the local Wal-Mart, I saw a hitchhiker standing on the corner. I picked him up, and after a few blocks and a quick stop behind the nearest garbage dumpster, I'd quenched my thirst and was on my way again to the meeting facility. His blood was a boost to my system, one that amped up my strength and eliminated my fears. I knew if anyone tried to hurt me, they would be in for a big surprise.
Once I arrived, I made my way inside and placed the cups on the empty table. I was used to being the leader of the meetings here, but today, until I could figure out exactly what was going on, I decided to lay low and took a seat in the far corner. I watched everyone mill around, exchanging hugs and stories about Damien, until finally Raúl and the last few members of his family came through the door.
After placing the flower arrangements and a few odds and ends around the room, Raúl's mother stepped to the front to gain everyone's attention. "A-hem. I'd like to thank you all for coming today. The service was beautiful and I appreciate all the kind words you had to say about my nephew. But now, I have some important words of my own to share. As most of you know, Damien's death was no accident."
Oh shit! I tensed up. If I was going to be hung out to dry, this was the moment.
"But his death did give our family an opportunity to learn things we didn't know, gain an understanding of our past, and provide a new course for our future."
What's with the damn riddles? I watched as Raúl and his cousins set the table with food platters and a large punch bowl, as I continued to listen to his mom.
"Damien was killed by vampires, and now we have a chance to learn from our ancestors and gain enough strength and power to exact our revenge."
My mouth almost hit the floor. I sat in stunned silence as I watched Raúl mix blood with the punch, just like I'd done the last time we were here. I stared as everyone grabbed one of the cups I'd brought and dip them into the blood laced concoction. They all stood around shaking their heads and bobbing back and forth on their feet like they were a bunch of prize fighters preparing for their big bout.
Raúl caught my eye, and made his way over to me. "See, I told you you'd be surprised."
"Um...you could say that again. What's going on? Who told them about the vampires and how'd you convince them to start drinking blood?"
"I did. When the police found Damien's body, it was me and my mom who went to identify him. When I saw his neck had been bitten and shredded like that, I knew it was the vampires you told us about. I decided to tell my mom and that we'd been drinking blood in an effort to get stronger and become immortal like our ancestors. As she stood there looking at Damien and listening to the story, I saw something change inside her. Once we left, she said that she was going to bring everyone on board so we could get revenge for Damien's death and help protect you in the process. She got the family together that same night and relayed everything I had told her and now...here we are. Everyone is ready to help you take on the vampires."
The amount of twisted joy I felt was unexplainable. I couldn't believe that by killing the one person who'd threatened me, I had just created a willing army in a matter of days. Everyone here was gaining strength in a controlled manner by ingesting blood in smaller amounts, which meant I wouldn't have to worry about being challenged again. This was perfect! The idea that Damien was killed by the vampires gave me a room full of demons with the motivation to do anything I asked, and I was so pleased that I wouldn't have to hide or trick them into drinking the blood to do so. We could now openly plan our attack and discuss our experiences together. Raúl was right, this was a big surprise...but one I didn't mind at all.
* * * * *
CHAPTER TWELVE
Complete Shock
(Christian)
I wasn't sure what Jillian meant, or why it looked like she was expecting me, but I headed inside, hoping to find out why my psychic gift had led me to her doorstep.
"Thank you," I said as I crossed the threshold. "You don't seem very surprised to see me after all this time, Jillian. Can I ask why that is?" I wasn't sure if confronting her right away was a good idea or not, but it was the path my mind was telling me to take so I went with it.
She talked over her shoulder as we walked into the dark kitchen. "I'm not surprised to see you, Christian. I texted you to come over as soon as you could. Oh, and by the way, my parents are in Brazil on vacation to check out the place I'll supposedly be living in next year, so we have the house to ourselves."
I grabbed my phone and checked for the message I'd apparently missed. Yep, sure enough, there was her text. It struck me as odd that Jillian would be texting me at all, or why she seemed to understand that we needed to be alone, and I also didn't get what she meant by "supposedly living in." To say I was confused was a huge understatement.
"Have you heard from Rose recently?" I decided to not try and decipher her statements and got to the real reason I thought I was here. I hoped Rose had once again reached out to her best frie
nd and that Jillian could therefore provide me a direction to head in my search. What I got instead was a complete shock.
"No, but William said that Justin and I can help you look for her."
I spun around so fast that I knocked the bar stool over. Jillian was standing next to the refrigerator with a blood bag to her lips. "Want some?"
"Holy shit, Jillian! You're a vampire?"
"Took you long enough." She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "After you and Rose disappeared all those months ago, Justin and I continued to see each other. It didn't take long before we really did fall in love. After I graduated college, he petitioned William to change me and then explained what was up. I, of course, jumped at the chance to be with him forever."
"How long? And do you know everything that's happened with Rose and our clan?" I assumed she did, since she was drinking from a bag.