The Blood of the Infected (Book 1): Once Bitten, Twice Die

by Antony Stanton

  She thought about it for a moment before replying. Her bottom lip jutted out in a slight moue that he always found endearing, even now. “I guess not, the killing wasn’t the important thing for me. Like a matador I enjoy the sport of it, but personally I do not actually feel the need to kill them. That is merely a consequence. For me I enjoyed the fact that there were so many of them, that one wrong move at any time and they would have been upon me. I’d have been bitten and then who knows what would have happened. Now Farzin, he would have enjoyed the killing itself just for the sake of it, but not me.”

  Sebastian could agree with the sentiments although he would not have admitted it to her. He wondered whether she was just saying what she thought he wanted to hear, and if that was the case, then why? Did she really want to endear herself to him? Or perhaps that actually was just how she felt? He wondered if he would ever really know and suspected not. Ever since the collapse of mankind, things in the vampire clan had become even more strained. They were all suffering together.

  She was watching him closely and could see that her comments had hit a nerve. Again she was perplexed as to why he was such a closed book to her. There was one more thing that bothered her though. “The girl - why did you not take blood? You had just saved her life. You didn’t need to end hers but you could have drunk to satiate your thirst, as repayment of her debt. Why did you not?”

  He knew this was not something he could easily explain to her or to any of the other clan members. As vampires they saw it as their justifiable right to do what they had to in order to survive. Drinking a human’s blood did not necessarily condemn them to death, nor to a life supposedly after death. Perhaps though, being the most recently ‘turned’ of his clan members his connection to his past human life was the strongest and this tended to discourage him from the blood of humans.

  There was something else though; possibly because of the elation after the fight, but for once he had been tempted to drink from her. The girl’s expression however, the look in her eyes of wonder and awe, had stopped him. And although he had deliberately calmed her fear and put her at ease with some gentle mind-manipulation, it was he who had felt disarmed and he could not get her image out of his head. The feelings he experienced through once again being close to humans was unsettling.

  “I guess the second vehicle arrived too soon,” he muttered darkly.

  “Nonsense. You had time, if you had wanted to. Don’t tell me you felt something for the girl?” She had read him well.

  “Of course not,” he snapped irritably but she was smiling now.

  “Sebastian, all these years you could have had me and now you fall for a human. Just wait till I tell the others,” and with that she ran to the roof’s edge and leapt out into space, her arms wide open like a cliff-diver at Acapulco. He watched her admiringly for a moment, all grace and purpose and agility, and then followed her half-heartedly, hanging back. He played her words around in his mind somewhat ruefully, knowing that although she was teasing him, this was not the whole truth.

  By the time he arrived back at the church the sun was setting and the shadows in the graveyard were growing. He alighted on the first floor window ledge and with hardly a pause vaulted through. Flavia was already talking to Farzin and Alec and all three looked at him when he entered. Unless he was mistaken, a certain tension entered the room along with him.

  Farzin spoke first. “I hear you have encountered the humans. And you defended them from the infected. An eventful day it would seem.” Then without waiting for a reply he turned back to Flavia. “And what is this on your mouth my dear? Human blood?”

  There was a slight red stain just by the corner of her lips and she smiled. “Yes my love, I saved it for you.”

  “Ahhh, but how sweet of you.” He cupped the back of her head in his hands as though he were holding a large chalice and bent forward to lick the blood from her with great satisfaction and an overly theatrical display of delight. Just as he finished and pulled back she glanced at Sebastian to see if he was watching. He turned away from her smug smile.

  Darius and Max alighted on the window sill and climbed swiftly inside. Darius surveyed the scene quizzically and turned to Max. “I sense there is something afoot here. Has anybody got anything to tell me?” He looked almost accusingly around the room.

  “Yes my lord,” Flavia answered with a slight, deferential bow of her head. “Sebastian and I happened to chance upon a party of some three soldiers under attack from a group of the contaminated. We killed the contaminated and defended the soldiers from certain death. I tasted human blood, the first time for a while.”

  Her mention of blood brought a faint gasp from Darius and Max who reacted like addicts denied a shot of their drug of choice. They stooped forwards slightly and seemed as though they would start to salivate.

  Darius mulled this revelation over before speaking. “This is interesting news indeed. And how did you leave the humans?”

  “More arrived suddenly. They were all armed and we thought best to depart before any ‘misunderstandings’ could occur.”

  “Yes, very wise. And?” This was good news that further encounters with the group of humans had occurred so soon, but it was not enough in itself to get overly excited. They needed to know where the humans were based in order to make proper contact.

  “And I feel sure that I will be seeing at least one of them again presently. I believe I left him feeling as though he wanted a little more from me. I will find out where they stay and report back to you as soon as possible my lord.” She bowed again but glanced at Sebastian who remained silent.

  Darius saw the glance, frowned slightly and turned to Sebastian. “Very well. Do you have anything further to add?”

  “No my lord,” and he too bowed. “It was exactly as Flavia has said.” He wondered why she had not mentioned his omission to drink human blood, whether she had decided better of it, or had chosen to store that information for another time more useful to herself.

  “Good, I hope to hear about further encounters before too long. Perhaps the two of you can take me out to show me where you met with the humans. Perhaps we can pick up their trail and find them again.”

  “Of course my lord,” they both answered in unison.

  However Farzin was not content to leave the conversation at that. As far as he was concerned this represented a prime opportunity and although he knew only too well how the conversation would progress he could not contain himself.

  “So the humans have seen how pathetic their attempts are at staying alive without our intervention. Now would be a good time, would you not agree my lord, to press our advantage. When we find out where they reside we should go to them and take what is ours. Now they have seen us we need to act fast.”

  Sebastian could see that Darius was angered. The Clan Leader took a step towards Farzin who stood his ground, a defiant glare smouldering in his eyes. How long, Sebastian wondered, until those glowing embers became ablaze with the unquenchable flames of revolt? Ever since Sebastian had joined the clan, Farzin had been difficult; testy and wilful. Long had he assumed that he would ultimately replace Darius as Clan Leader and Darius’s preference of Luca was clearly a source of continual annoyance and had caused division. But Sebastian knew, as Darius and the rest of them also knew, that Farzin would not make a good leader. Even before the rift had begun to form he had been too impulsive and aggressive, and doubly so of late. Frequently he would react with unnecessary hostility when a more measured approach was preferable. He was certainly a strong character, had a charismatic air, and had played a part in keeping them all together over the years, but it would not be wise to put him in a position of overall authority. Luca had been in the clan longer than Sebastian and so was the obvious choice. Farzin seemed to bear no malice towards Luca and had even remained cordial towards Darius, until very recently with all the troubles in the human world, when his defiance could no longer be restrained.

  Darius replied to Farzin with control and reaso
n, his voice low and calm and persuasive. “I agree with you Farzin, now is indeed a good time to press forward our advantage. The humans have seen that they cannot hope to exist in this new world without our benevolence and protection. Now is the perfect time to go to them with our offer of assistance in return for their ‘allegiance’. Now is the time to forge a perfect, symbiotic relationship, with each party aiding the other, not to become parasites and feed off them, giving nothing in return.”

  “I do not seek only to take. They will be receiving the gift of life, which is something that they will not have for much longer without us.”

  “And what is this ‘gift’ of life without freedom? If once we start down this route then forever will they see us as the enemy, and if they once again gain the upper hand then woe betide us for treating them thus.”

  “I would have it so that they will not gain the upper hand again. We are in a position to create as large a vampire army as we require and enslave the humans to serve us as we see fit. There is no longer a need to hide in fear. We are the dominant race and it is time that we take our rightful position as such.”

  At this point there was a soft swish from the window and Luca sprang lightly and elegantly through, landing a couple of metres into the room. His dark hair glistened in the dim light and was slicked tightly back against his thin head. His usually pristine white shirt was ruffled and there was a tiny stain of blood on the end of the exposed collar. He wore clothes from an expensive Italian designer. A fitted, graphite, cashmere gilet was over the shirt, tailored charcoal trousers met brown suede ankle boots and a cobalt cravat finished the look. The only item that was not Italian was a slim Swiss watch with silver dial, black face and black strap. He looked as though he belonged on a catwalk or adorning the pages of a fashion magazine as much as in a vampire clan. He glanced around the room questioningly, clearly aware that a heated debate was going on, and felt slightly aggrieved that yet again an important conversation was occurring in his absence. He said nothing though but waited until a more appropriate moment to interject with his own not insignificant news.

  Farzin turned now to Sebastian with a look that could have been aggressive or conspiratorial, it was not clear which. Sebastian always tried to avoid getting involved in these quarrels, just as he had in human life. He did realize however that the time was coming to take a side and be willing to back that up. Killing a human, whether diseased or otherwise, was not something that he relished, but like any animal, if his own life was threatened and there was no alternative then he would do what was necessary. However, if things within the clan became hostile and violence erupted, then killing a vampire would be a much harder thing. He did not even really know how it could be physically done and doubted whether he could bring himself to do it emotionally.

  The relationship between Sebastian and Farzin had at times been tense, largely due to Sebastian’s association with Flavia, but each of them would, he assumed, always have looked out for the other. Current events in human civilization had precipitated a radical and rapid change in Farzin’s attitude and it was clear that matters were coming to a head. He did not fear Farzin. He knew that he had a size and strength advantage over him. However, strength is not always the best way to win a battle. Farzin was undoubtedly cunning and savage, and to underestimate him would be folly. Farzin was more vicious and unpredictable, and over these last few days and weeks being in his company had been akin to being sat in the same carriage as an unpleasant drunk on a night train; one just never knows what he is going to do next and it is wise to keep one’s distance unless one is actively pursuing trouble.

  “You were there Sebastian. You have seen the humans. How did it feel to be so close to such delightful nourishment only to see it disappear once more out of reach? Do you not feel as though having defended those pitiful creatures from certain death you now deserve your reward?” A small amount of spittle was projected as he spat out the word ‘pitiful’.

  Sebastian wondered again why Flavia had not mentioned his omission to drink of human blood. Perhaps it had been to avoid causing him a confrontation, as clearly Farzin would not understand his attitude. He looked deeply into those baleful eyes full of resentment and held the gaze, not aggressively but without fear or cowering. Over recent weeks he had seen the anger in those darkened pupils grow as the self-control dissipated, much like the infected humans. Not long now, he thought. Not long.

  “I agree with you in that the humans today would undoubtedly have perished without our intervention. With our aid their likelihood of survival is indeed greatly increased but exactly what we would be due for our assistance is not a matter that we can conclude by ourselves. In this negotiation there are two parties and we cannot say what they should be willing to give up for our custody. You ask me whether we should take what we deem is our due by force; I would rather be ruler by dint of love or admiration or respect than through coercion and fear.”

  “So at last your position is clear.” He said the words with a hint of a sneer. “I must admit to being a little disappointed in you.” He glanced briefly at Flavia as he spoke.

  “I am happy to disappoint,” Sebastian replied evenly. His final words caused a further flicker of anger to ignite in Farzin’s eyes as he glared back.

  Flavia watched the interchange more closely than the others as she stood between the two. Tensions and passions of more than one kind, that had long been buried deep, were now bubbling close to the surface and were detrimental to the stability and status quo of the clan. Flavia could sense the feeling of frustration in her partner and she understood it. He believed wholeheartedly that the time for the vampire was now. The moment had come to right the wrongs of the last thousand years, to end the days of oppression and hiding and become the rightful masters at the top of the food chain without the need to barter for that position. Like the tiger stepping out of the forest and in amongst the weary villagers, he believed they should be able to go where they pleased and take what had been denied them for far too long. Flavia agreed with him; to an extent. But there was truth in what Sebastian said also, although she was careful to avoid saying as much.

  Even now with emotions high and their guards removed she could still not fully read Sebastian and it frustrated her. Not that she could actually read the minds of others, it was more an extension of ‘women’s intuition’. As a human she had always been extremely insightful. Her instincts were so acute they had gained her a reputation for being a witch. This was something that did no one any favours back in those days in France, and led to her having to flee Paris and head south before she was turned and became vampyric. Now, like all vampires, she had fine-tuned that skill so that she knew intuitively what people were thinking, and she was without doubt the virtuoso amongst them. The slight dilation in someone’s eyes, the tiniest of frowns or pouts, a faraway look, a quickening pulse and small beads of perspiration forming upon the upper lip, an overly stressed vowel, a slight indrawn breath after a certain word whilst rubbing ones hands nervously together; these little signs were all as clear to her as the correct course for the vampires was to Farzin. She read this secret language like a story in black and white. She often guessed what someone was going to say before they spoke and knew how they were likely to react. But that was not now, and never had been, the case with Sebastian. It may have been due to the manner of his turning, she did not know, but it vexed her, and if she were to be honest it fascinated her as well, a fact she realised she would do well never to mention to Farzin. She stepped close to his side and mouthed something in his ear and the tension seemed to leave his shoulders and hence the room. As Flavia led Farzin gently away, nobody, not even she, noticed the smug smirk that fleetingly tainted his lips.

  Darius turned briefly to acknowledge Luca but then strode to Sebastian’s side and in a conspiratorial manner took his arm by the elbow. “These confrontations are becoming more common and increasingly vehement, I do not like it.”

  “No my lord, and neither do I.”

&n
bsp; Darius quickly changed the subject as though it gave him displeasure even to talk about it. “I would have you show me where you last saw the humans.”

  “Now, my lord?”

  “Unless another matter preoccupies you? The sooner we regain their trail the more chance we have of tracking them. I have already wasted too much time in procrastination.”

  Sebastian bowed slightly. “As you wish, I am ready.”

  Luca had been waiting patiently to speak to Darius. “My lord, I too have news,” he said, but Darius raised a hand to silence him.

  “I am sorry Luca, I must go immediately. This is of the utmost importance. Can this wait until my return?” but it was a rhetorical question and he did not pause for a reply.

  As Sebastian and Darius leapt through the window, Alec, who had remained standing in the far corner, now stepped forwards into the light. He noticed the sullen look on Luca’s face and nodded almost imperceptibly at him with an expression that may possibly have been pity or empathy, before stalking from the room after his companions. Max, who had also lingered, noticed the brief exchange and it filled him with grave misgivings although he was not sure why. He was deeply concerned about the rift that had grown in the clan and wondered about Luca. He followed Darius and Sebastian, leaving Luca alone in the growing gloom with his inner torment; even vampires have their own personal demons to contend with.

  Luca heard the other three in another area of the presbytery and wondered whether he should go to join them but decided quickly against it. With all that was going on he did not feel totally welcome or at ease in their company. He now noticed the speck of blood on his collar and wondered why the others had missed it. A fresh blood stain would not normally go unnoticed. It caused him to reflect on his own events of the past few hours. He checked the rest of his attire, smoothing his clothes down and then rubbed in irritation at the blood. He had never quite lost his pride in his appearance, coming, as he did, from Italy.