by S. J. Wright
Inside my head, despite the comforting touch of Michael’s skin against mine, I began to feel oddly detached. There was a darkness blooming all around me that held no light, no love, and no hope at all. My feet moved and I kept drawing in breaths of air, but my brain was being consumed by something that I couldn’t fight.
Chapter 16 – Michael
She sat silently in the window seat of the study for hours. I waited for her to cry, to rail against Alex and his changeable appetites, even to curse me for my inability to stop what was happening to her sister. Her face was without definable expression. Her beautiful eyes were lifeless, like a doll.
Nelly called twice while I was there and left two messages. Sarah didn’t respond to the ringing of the phone. In fact, she responded to nothing. Sadie crept past me at one point and pushed her wet nose against Sarah’s hand. Even the dog received no response from her.
Desperate and angry, I fled from the room and called Victoria.
“She won’t speak.” I growled as soon as she answered.
Victoria was hesitant, and I wondered if I might have interrupted something between her and Jones.
“I’m sorry. Is this a bad time?” The words were a hiss through my teeth.
“No, it’s fine. She hasn’t said anything about what happened?”
“Not a damn word. Were you able to get anything out of her on the way back?”
She sighed despondently, “Not voluntarily. I was able to pick up a few scenes that she kept replaying in her head. Mostly it was Alex and Katie in the bar being very affectionate with each other.”
“This isn’t just jealousy. Could he have turned Katie?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry, Michael.”
Throwing the phone into the woods sounded like a very good idea at that point. Instead, I ground my teeth together and tried to regain some control of my rage.
“Michael?”
“Be back before dawn. Isaiah will arrive tomorrow night. We need to be prepared.”
Sarah fell asleep eventually. When I lifted her from the seat, her head rolled against my shoulder, and the chill of her skin alarmed me. She was so pale. Whatever was ailing her, I began to suspect it wasn’t just confined to the emotional torture she’d been through recently. When I entered her bedroom, the scent of Alex washed over me. It made me feel physically ill imagining him being in that room.
When I had her stretched out upon her bed, her chest rising and falling with shallow little breaths that seemed frighteningly insufficient for a human, I covered her with her bedclothes and rushed downstairs. In the library, I found what I was looking for. Sarah’s personal address book.
There was only one thought in my mind as I dialed the doctor’s phone number. I had to try to stop whatever was happening inside her body. The virus or infection must be destroyed. And Fleming seemed the most likely person to lend assistance.
“This is Doctor Fleming.” He sounded bleary with sleep. I felt somewhat pleased at having awakened him.
“This is Michael. Sarah is ill. You must come out here immediately.”
I heard him fumble with his eyeglasses, “What’s wrong with her?”
“I was hoping you might be able to tell me. Her breathing is off. Too quick and light. She’s cold to the touch and hasn’t been acting like herself for hours. Too quiet.”
“Has she been bitten?” I was expecting this line of questioning.
“Yes. Several times. It was Alex.”
“I’ll be there directly.”
I was waiting by one of the windows when his headlights slashed through the darkness like dull silver knives. The fear that had been churning through me at the notion of Sarah’s possible demise had become a tangle of lead in my veins. It weighed me down, pulling me into despair so unfamiliar and strange to me that I had no idea how to move or think.
Nothing in my long years on this God-forsaken earth had prepared me for such disillusion, such contemptible helplessness. I’d known loss first hand, though I had learned to toss my head at it and shrug it all off after a short period of time. As a human, I’d seen and felt with the subdued sensations of that species the aching and weeping that inevitably followed the death of a loved one. My mother’s death had been a particularly bleak instance in my human life all those centuries ago.
However, with the supernatural height of all senses that vampires must experience in the world, not once had I ever been so attached to a human being that I felt true fear at the loss of one from my life. I became convinced that if Sarah should truly die, it would be the end of me. This realization was singularly stunning in its sense of finality. How odd it was to see my travels and attachments coming to such an abrupt and pointless ending.
So I decided that something, anything must be done to save Sarah’s life.
The doctor was quick to get started. He hurried up to her room, peered at her closely, withdrew several instruments from his black bag and set out to determine what might be the cause of her malady. He inquired about the bites from Alex, when they might have occurred and the sites of each on her utterly pale, clammy skin.
“What is wrong with her?”
He shook his head, withdrew his stethoscope from his neck, and looked at me gravely. “His venom. It’s taken root in her bloodstream. We need something to counteract the effects.”
“My venom?”
“If you sealed the wounds Alex made, then your venom is already there.” He smoothed back a stray lock of her dark hair, wet with perspiration. His eyes looked upon her with weary resolution.
“What about blood?” The dreadful idea of that proposition made me shiver, even as I uttered the words.
“Perhaps Alex’s blood might reverse the effects.” He replied doubtfully.
“No. I’m sure she’d rather die than face what dangers that might bring her.”
The doctor wasn’t hopeful. I could easily discern the defeat that blanketed his whole body. My thoughts were scattered. Who else had the kind of venom that might obliterate this horrible thing that was happening to her? Before the question came to my lips, I knew the answer.
Isaiah. He would be highly amused by this turn of events in his favor. I could imagine the victorious flash in those grey eyes, the scornful words that would likely pour forth like salt on the wounds of my pride. But it was the most likely solution. I would have to rid myself of the antagonism I felt for that horrid old creature in order to save the woman who lay so still before me on that bed.
Ignoring the quiet impotent presence of the doctor, I sat by her side and gathered her still form up against me. Her breathing had grown ragged, echoing brokenly through her. She moaned very quietly, her breath hot through the thin shirt I wore. I wanted to be in her veins, fighting it out of her myself, making real use of all the rage that had consumed me over the preceding hours.
I kissed her softly on the forehead.
“We think there’s a way to save you, my love. It won’t be pleasant, but there’s a chance at least.” I spoke these words with the reverence and severity of a man in love. Perhaps that was exactly it. There wasn’t nearly enough time to peruse the matter at all. All that mattered to me was that she lived. Later I might have the leisure to sort through the emotional turmoil of it.
Turning to the doctor, I addressed him calmly, “Call Katie on her cell phone. Explain the situation. Ask her to come as quickly as she can. I think I know how to save Sarah’s life, but if it all goes to hell, she should have her sister here with her.”
Chapter 17 – Sarah
The physical pain had become more than just a mild annoyance, but it was still nothing in comparison to the dreadful guilt that squeezed itself into every tiny cell of my body. I couldn’t seem to move away from it. Katie was suffering because of me. Though she may have had no conscious realization of it, her dreams could come crashing down around her once she realized what she was to become. I felt only a small hint of doubt that my sister would become a vampire after what I’d seen between her and A
lex.
My body felt numb in most places. My fingertips tingled but afforded no real sensation of touch against anything, although I felt sure that I was in my own bed. My ears picked up some distinct sounds, but they faded in and out like a radio being tuned back and forth to different stations.
“…blood…Katie.”
The sounds grew fainter. Then I heard nothing and could see nothing. Blackness engulfed me from all sides, but the expected rise of panic did not come. I was simply floating along on a tide of uncertainty, wondering if there would be some divine light at the end of my meandering and hoping that wherever I ended up, I would find myself secure in Michael’s embrace.
Chapter 18 – Michael
The doctor had done as he was bid. He called Katie on her cell phone and had explained that Sarah seemed very sick and that it would be a good idea to come home as soon as she could. Whatever the girl’s response, it was done. If she came or not, it mattered little to me. If Alex came with her, I would not be able to kill him, though my heart cried out for such revenge.
Victoria and Jones returned an hour before dawn. They did not arrive alone. Meekah’s slim figure, dressed exquisitely in a cool sky-blue linen traveling suit, appeared behind Jones when I met them at the boundary of the containment field. With Sarah unable to give permission for the three of them to enter, nor for myself to leave, we seemed to be at an impasse.
The doctor had remained back at the house with Sarah, so it was up to me to explain what was happening. Victoria’s expression went from mildly worried to full-blown sadness in just a few minutes. Halfway through my commentary, Meekah held up one heavily jeweled hand to speak.
“The doctor has been in contact with Isaiah.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me.” I grumbled.
Victoria nodded firmly, “He is probably on his way here now. How do you want to handle this, Michael?”
A deep sigh issued forth from Jones, “You’ll not be letting that woman go, will you, mate?”
“Not for anything, Jones. Not while it’s in my power to save her.”
There was a rustle of wind and movement near us in the trees, and I sensed at once that Sarah’s murderer was close at hand. But it was the form of a lithe young woman who leapt down to the ground before us all.
“Katie.” I nodded at her cautiously. She appeared to be in the throes of the change. There was a brightness to her eyes and skin that hadn’t existed the last time I’d seen her. She moved with a different kind of purpose, an unconscious grace that spoke volumes about what she might soon become.
She wasted not a moment on pleasantries, but came right to the point with hands on her slender hips and her dark eyes narrowed.
“Is Sarah any better?”
“No. She’s rather worse than she was, actually. You might thank your new boyfriend for that.” I replied coldly as the others stared at her.
She laughed. “He’s hardly my boyfriend. Why are you all standing here?”
“An invitation is necessary, girl.” Meekah said.
“Oh,” She rolled her eyes. “Well, come on then. All of you.”
Victoria glanced at her uneasily. Jones shifted his weight and crossed his arms.
Katie looked back at us over her shoulder, a roguish smile tinged with bitterness on her pretty face, “Relax, bloodsuckers. I’ve as much right as Sarah to hand out invitations here.”
Meekah’s dark eyebrows rose slightly and she shrugged, stepping forward. As she met no resistance, she turned back to Victoria and Jones, “It’s all good, lovebirds.”
It was a silent walk to that big house. Not a word was spoken between the five of us as we approached it. Alex was nearby. I could smell the fiend all around us. It occurred to me that he might go straight to Sarah inside the house, but the moment my suspicions became aroused, Victoria reached out with one of her tiny cold hands and squeezed my arm. It was a signal we’d used in the past. She was asking me to wait.
Sadie came bounding down from the front porch at the first sight of Katie, but stopped abruptly once she got caught the new scent of her former mistress. The dog whined, looked around at all of us in a desperate moment of confusion, and then tucked her tail between her legs and retreated towards the barn.
“Katie, what has happened between you and Alex?” Victoria’s question was innocently uttered, as not to provoke the girl. We were making our way up the stairs to the porch.
When the girl turned to answer, there was fire in her eyes. Whether it was directed towards Victoria or the situation in which she’d found herself was yet unclear, but the tone of her voice was increasingly self-depreciating.
“I’ve been used as a pawn, if you have to ask. I thought you could read minds or something.”
“Not always and certainly not just bloody anyone.” Jones said.
As Katie, Jones and Meekah ascended the stairs to see how Sarah was doing, I pulled Victoria aside and into the kitchen, where only the light above the sink had been left to ward off the inky black night through the first floor of the house.
“What is in the doctor’s head?” I urged as quietly as I could.
“He’s spoken to Isaiah and urged him to come early. There’s no malice there, Michael. The man is genuinely concerned about Sarah.”
“So Isaiah is our only hope for her?”
She nodded briskly, “As far as he knows, yes.”
“What about Alex? Any idea what he has planned?”
Her gaze lowered to the floor, and I watched the doubt wash over her face.
“He’s in agony. He hates himself for what he’s done. He loves Sarah desperately and wants her to get well. Katie has been released from his compulsion.” She finished with a slow shake of her head, “There’s so much pain here, Michael.”
“Indeed. Unfortunately, I think we’ve all had a hand in it in our own way.” I admitted with no small amount of consternation.
Katie swept in, her face a mix of horror of anguish, tears tracing down her cheeks like little rivers, “She’s going to die, isn’t she?” She turned to me with hooded eyes that were heavy with her own internal suffering.
“Did the doctor tell you about Isaiah?” I asked.
“He only said that there was a vampire coming here whose venom may be able to save her. But it’s no sure thing, is it? What if it doesn’t work? Will you turn her into a vampire?”
From the corner of my eye, I caught movement. Someone had moved into the kitchen from the dining room. When I fully turned my head to see, Alex was standing there. He didn’t move closer to the others or me. He seemed unsure of himself.
“Please don’t turn her.” His tone was shallow and haunted. He looked like a man who was about to lose everything. Meekah had come in from the entryway by the stairs and looked upon Alex with unveiled wonder.
He returned her stare with a blank look, “I’m sorry for what I’ve done. More sorry than you can imagine. If she dies because of me, you have every right in the world to destroy me. I’ll beg you to do it. But don’t turn Sarah into one of us. She’d grow to hate herself, and everything we all adore about her will be lost forever.”
“Isaiah is at the boundary.” Victoria whispered, “I can feel him there.”
“Anyone with him?”
It was Meekah who answered, “Six guards…” She closed her eyes, and her head turned one way and then another, the slender neck and jaw firm with her abundant pride in her ability, “And there’s an old woman and a young man. He’s dark. Straight black hair pulled back.”
Katie hurried towards the front door and called over her shoulder, “Sarah can’t wait much longer. I’m bringing them up here.”
“No need.” Said Victoria slowly, “They’ve come through the boundary.”
Every pair of eyes in the room became fixed on her in absolute astonishment. Katie took a few hesitant steps towards Victoria, “But how…”
“The young man with them is a Pawnee.” Meekah said roughly.
Chapter 19 – Sarah
During rare moments of mental clarity, I could feel an increasing pain in my chest that made me want to scream. My heart felt like it was being gripped by a ruthlessly hard hand, squeezing and kneading the organ with endless brutality. It gave me cause to forget about the guilt. I could hear my own voice rise in pathetic moans and feel the waves of pain move from my chest down through my abdomen and legs.
When I had contemplated death in the past, it had never occurred to me that the pain would be this severe. But surely, death was the dark thing coming for me. Whatever the mysterious cause, whatever the dastardly reason for it all, I was bound to take my last breath very soon.
A release from the pain seemed a glorious thing in those moments. If I should never see the sun sending down warmth and brilliant light upon my home again, it did not matter. If I should never again set my gaze upon the blindingly white snow in the hills of Brown County, it mattered even less. However, there was still a responsibility left to me that I must continue to shoulder and drag on. It had to be carried forward.
With that one clear thought branded upon my suffering body, I gathered every fragment of strength and reserve left to me and vowed to fight the pain. Whatever this thing was that had invaded me and tried to take over, I was dead set against letting it win.
Chapter 20 – Michael
The old clock on the fireplace mantle was just striking seven o’clock when we stepped out of the house to meet them. I fumbled in my jacket pocket for the crystal Victoria had given me. It would be essential to have it handy once the sun came up.
When we stepped out onto the porch, we observed the group before us with trepidation. Isaiah, tall and imposingly stern with a violently victorious expression shining in his eyes, was accompanied by a half dozen guards. Each of them was an experienced fighter and had proven their allegiance to Isaiah and the council repeatedly. Next to Isaiah stood a figure very familiar to me, having been tutored extensively under her gentle ministrations when I first became a vampire.