They carried me to a room just off the entrance and laid me on the bed gently. "Rest and feed yourself Steven, you need it. Later we will speak about your actions, once we know if the child will live!" the woman demanded before she left.
Steve kissed me on the cheek and left to follow her advice. He knew that the meeting with his leader was not one too look forward to, he could be put to death for risking the vampires only secret. The secret of their very existence. While Tony set himself up as a watchful guide over her sleep.
The Vampire Legacies
The Scarlet Drop
Chapter 21
I woke a long time later, to find clothes had been left out for me and a steaming flagon of spiced blood. I gathered it must be just after dusk, for someone to realise I would rise soon. I wasn’t as hungry anymore, but I cradled the mixture and sipped at it. The warmth spreading through me, I couldn’t bring myself to hate what I had become. I had always known it would happen, how could I hate something that would mean me and Steve could be together forever? The part I hated was myself, for killing that man, for not having the control it took to stop myself. If I closed my eyes I could see his face, see myself lusting after his blood. I didn’t like being that person one little bit.
I had to learn control, whatever it took. If I didn’t then I would take my own life to save others from being killed. I wouldn’t become a monster! Or at least any more of one than I already was. Goddess I longed for when things had been simpler. Before I knew about vampires, and witches and demons and all this shit! But I knew there was no way back now. Not after everything had happened to me. I doubted there was an anti-vampire pill I could take to make it all better!
I looked around my ‘cage’, there were no windows in the room, no clocks or anyway to tell when or where I was. I looked at the dress left out for me; no way was I dressing in their garments. Even though mine were torn and covered in blood. The mug of blood had calmed my cravings a little, but I was still hungry. I wondered if the longing would ever end. For an hour or more I paced the room. I heard footsteps in the passageway a few times, but no one stopped or even came near the doorway. I banged on the door the next time someone walked passed, but still no one stopped to check in on me. Tony was long gone, as was Steve the traitor. I hated him for letting me become this, for not training me.
I slunk onto the bed and waited, hours more passed by with me dozing. When I woke again, I knew I had missed their visit. The Goth clothing had been removed from my chamber and a simpler outfit had been left in its place. (Black jeans, black tee shirt and a black leather jacket with a pair of sturdy boots) A pitcher of water and a bowl had appeared to wash in as well. I washed and changed into the new clothing. Noticing as I did so, that my wounds had been treated and bandaged. I caught the scent of Tony’s aftershave in the air. So he was still here.
The hunger was in my blood, I could feel it rising again. Soon (very much so) I would need to hunt and feed again. More importantly than that, I needed to escape this place. I had been left here for at least a day to my understanding if not more. There was no sign of the fang, I didn't think he would have left me here for that long. My memories were hazy of what had happened, but I did remember him and some others attacking me. Or was it helping me? It was hard to tell the difference anymore.
I decided to escape now, before the hunger took me over again. I had no belongings, nothing but the shirt on my back and that wasn't even mine. No money, no bag, everything had been taken from me. My whole identity missing, I had never felt so naked in all my life. I shook the door to test it, and was surprised to find the knob opened under my hand, I wasn't locked in. Surely I had checked that before? Perhaps not, maybe I had just assumed the room was a cage when it wasn’t? I peeked around the door carefully and looked both ways. No one and nothing was in sight, I eased around the doorway and closed it silently behind me.
A long corridor went either way, lined with torches. Both ways looked identical, I didn't know which way to turn or what to do. I was frightened in a way I had never felt before. I turned left, half aware of being carried that way when I was brought to the room, and skulked in the shadows to try and avoid being seen. After a few minutes I came to a central area, it appeared to be an eating area, full of benches and tables. A couple of people sat at the tables. I wouldn't be able to get passed them without being seen, so I retraced my steps back to the room I had been kept in. Peering back inside, nothing had been disturbed; my escape plan hadn't been discovered yet.
To make sure this time, I wadded up blankets to look like the shape of a body resting in the bed. I also scattered some clothing from the drawers over the floor to look like I had gotten undressed first. Heading back into the corridor, I headed right this time. This way was quieter; I went through store rooms covered in dust and cobwebs. Every now and then I stopped to examine an object on one of the shelves. I discovered a room full of weapons and stopped to choose a dagger, one that fit exactly in the top of my boot. Having a weapon made me feel a little more confident.
The next room was full of food and supplies; there were bottles of a reddish liquid. Cracking the lid on one I found it was full of blood. I guzzled a whole bottle straight away, and started on a second. Two more bottles I slipped into the back pockets of my jeans for later. I felt full and sleepy after drinking so much, but after only a few minutes rest I forced myself to carry on with my journey. The tunnels and rooms seemed to be endless. Soon I was completely lost, the blood I’d drunk was making me more and more sleepy and I could hardly keep my eyes open. Stumbling along I found a quiet and dusty storage room that looked like it hadn’t been touched in decades and collapsed to the floor there. My heavy eye lids closed the second I hit the floor and I slept more deeply than I ever had.
Dawn had come…….
The sunlight had its sway over me…..
When the moon rose again, so did I. Although I was still exhausted, I tried to stand. Pain consumed me; I didn’t know what it was. I wasn’t hungry this time, but my blood still boiled. I felt sick and dizzy, and out of control. I stumbled back into the corridor and carried on down it. The pain was intense, and I could feel the sickness growing. I almost wished I could lay down right here in this cold corridor and sleep again.
Finally I could feel a breeze and knew I must be close to an exit. Opening a door at the end of the corridor I entered a hallway with a grand door at the far end, it had to be what I was looking for.
I was over confident, and didn't check the room before entering, as I strode towards the door I heard a cough behind me and spun around. The woman who had given me blood stood behind me. "Going somewhere?" she asked calmly. I reached for the dagger in my boot, but she shook her head. "You are not a captive here, and free to leave at any time." she commented, "But for your own sake, I suggest that you stay and learn to control yourself first." She had taken notice of my paler skin, the sweat pouring off my body. She knew I needed help, but also knew that she couldn’t force it on me.
I edged closer to the door watching the woman to see if she would make a move, trying to control how I felt. Dizziness threatened to leave me open to attack, “If I am not a prisoner, I am leaving!" I snapped. The woman nodded sadly, "The door is always open; if you change your mind youngling, ask any vampire for Christiana or for The Rose. I hope you find your way young one”, she turned and walked away. I dived out of the door before anyone else came to stop me or my body betrayed me again. The bright moonlight beat down on my flesh, it hurt my eyes and I squinted against it.
We were in the middle of a forest, miles away from the town entrance Tony had dragged me through. The underground base must run for miles, goodness knows how far. At least out here I had a chance to learn to control my urges and whatever this new pain was. There were no landmarks, and I was far deeper into the trees then I had ever been. The area was remote and the tree cover heavy, it would take me a while to find my way back from here. I wandered for a few miles, my tired body fighting me all the way. Soon I ha
d to sit and rest a while, I drank some more from the bottles I had stolen. It didn’t help how I felt. If anything it made it worse and within minutes my whole body was wracked in pain. I cried out without meaning to, hoping that I wouldn’t be heard. I couldn’t think, or feel, or move, there was nothing but the pain.
There were others with me, but I was too far gone to notice. Steve, Christiana and several others had followed me. Steve took a step towards me, only to be pulled back by his leader, “She is changing, and there is nothing you can do for her now. You went through it once, so did we all.”
Steve shook his head, “I don’t remember it being this painful!”
“It wouldn’t have been if you had bothered doing your duty in preparing her.” She snapped.
When I woke again it was dusk a whole day later, the hunger pains were lesser than they had been thankfully. I wondered how to go back to my old life now I had changed. I hoped that by controlling the cravings that I could carry on as I was. Somehow part of me doubted that it would be that easy. I thought back to Christiana, and nearly headed back to the entrance, but it felt like giving up. I still didn't know if they wanted to help or hurt me either. And where the hell was Steve in all of this! He was meant to be my strength, my guide, but whenever I needed him, he was missing! Well okay yeah, I had abandoned him back at the Rose, whatever that was, but he should be here. Okay, maybe I was being a little hormonal and tad unreasonable. But hey, I think after everything that had happened that I was entitled to it!
Angry and frustrated I carried on searching for the way out, I discovered a trail that might lead back to civilization. I'd hardly been walking along it for five minutes when I heard someone coming up the trail towards me. I hid, shinning up a tree to disguise myself in the leaves. A good street rat knew how to hide. I wasn’t quite sure how I remembered this; clearly a few lives of mine had been rather jaded.
“Vicky, I can feel you. It is pointless to hide. Come out please.” Antonio asked calmly.
Slowly I slipped back down the tree, “What do you want?”
“To help you through this.” He said softly.
“I don’t need anyone’s help, thank you.” I snapped.
“Oh yeah because you can find out everything about being a vampire from watching movies!” He retorted, “Do you even know what is happening to you right now?”
I shrugged, “I’m pretty sure its mortal death actually, as the vampire DNA asserts itself over the human.”
Tony bit his lip, “Okay maybe you do have an idea then.”
“I need to be alone; I won’t risk hurting anyone I care about. Not like I killed that man.”
“You can’t do this alone, you can’t hurt me.” He promised.
“Oh really?” I asked. In less than a heartbeat I was there, holding his throat, pinning him against a tree. My fangs grazing his throat. “I could take your life so easily right now, I want to. Not me, but the hunger in me does. I want to drain every last drop of blood from your body. Then move to another, and another, until this whole city lays dead.”
“You won’t kill me.” He said calmly.
“No, because I am in love with you.” I commented still breathing in his scent. My fangs still far too close to his neck.
“You love Steven, not me.” He commented quietly.
“We both know Steven isn’t the man I love, he is just the man you make me love.” I commented.
“Do you remember me?” he asked hopefully.
I paused long moments as I pulled away from him, “No, but I wish I could.”
He reached out towards me, but I disappeared. “Let me go.” I whispered back through the trees.
Tony sighed, “You always have to do everything the hard way.”
There was no answer, I couldn’t bring myself to. If I did, I would fall in his arms and be whatever he wanted me to be. Yet I was scared of this darkness inside of me. The lust, the hunger. I would come back to him, but not until I understood myself. However long that took.
Yet I felt those last words he didn’t speak through every cell in my body.
“Farewell for now, dearest one.”
I turned away, looking for a place to call a home of sorts until all this settled down.
The Scarlet Drop: The Vampire Legacies Book One Page 11