The Journal of Vincent Du Maurier (Book 1)

by Ambroziak, K. P.

  “Helgado,” she cried.

  “Where?” The vampire was close—I could feel him. Though he had not gone far with the boy, I was torn. I did not want to leave the girl alone.

  “That way—go,” she said. “Please go!”

  I swept her up in my arms and carried her with me, as I followed Helgado’s scent. We had gone maybe half a mile when I found Rangu feeding on the boy. He was limp in the arms of the old vampire, bent over him and sucking the blood from his healthy limb. He was on his second puncture; the first was in Helgado’s clavicle. The boy was still alive, if just barely. I put Evelina down and rushed Rangu, knocking the vampire clear off his feet and several yards into a row of grapevines. Helgado flew from his arms and landed somewhere on the soft ground. Rangu resisted me, as I held him to the dirt—he was recharged with the blood-high settling in. He pushed back against me, hissing and giggling, and threw me off, sending me several feet into the air. “Not this-s-s-s time, Du Maurier!”

  He stole through the vines back to his prize. I jumped up and over the rows, planning to cut him off at the pass. When I caught up with him, he had reached Evelina. She was trying to stop the boy’s bleeding, protecting him with her body, her hands covered in blood. She screamed for me, as I leapt on Rangu before he lunged for the girl. His iron fangs clamped down on my wrist instead of her flesh, as I pulled his head back with my arm.

  We wrestled through the row of grapevines, twirling and spinning, until I had my arms around his neck and lifted him up off the ground. When he finally loosed himself from my grip, it was he who got me down, slamming me on my back, showing me the sky above, as he crashed down on top of me. Buried beneath the weight of his body, I kept my chin down to hide my neck. He attempted to take off my head, as he burrowed his honed talons into my jawline. His formidable fingers clawed their way into my skin, as his murderous eyes grew yellow with rage. Whether fate or luck, I do not know, but a chorus of howls broke our concentration when a swarm swooped in and yanked Rangu off me. As if dropping from the sky, ten, maybe twenty bloodless surrounded Rangu and ripped into him with their wolframlike jaws. They must have smelled Helgado’s blood on the vampire and wanted it for themselves. I had just enough time to roll out from under him and into the next row of vines. Rangu called out to Brahma and Shiva before his voice drowned in a cacophony of trills. I could not save my old friend and rushed back to Evelina.

  Though the swarm was distracted, it would not be long before they headed in our direction. I could only hope no others closed in already. When I reached the girl, I saw that Helgado was in bad shape. Evelina had done what she could to stop the bleeding, but he needed to be stitched up if we were to save him. I had to get them to safety first and so I picked up Helgado, balancing him on my back, and then took Evelina in my arms and ran to the place between the powdered vines. Once we reached the coat, I laid Helgado down and directed Evelina to pass me the medical supplies.

  “Can you save him?” She was hysterical and sobbed ceaselessly.

  “You have to calm down,” I said. “I need you to do this.” Unable to get a grip on herself, I was forced to comfort her. I put my arms around her and pulled her to me. Between her smell and the boy’s open wounds, I grew dizzy. “You will have to do this,” I said in my most serene voice. “I do not have the strength to stitch him.”

  I had used up so much energy in the last hour I was almost depleted again. The bloody wound on Helgado’s clavicle had coagulated, but the bleeding from his arm was another matter. I held pressure on the opening and instructed Evelina how to stitch the skin. I eventually covered my nose with my free hand until the wounds were sealed and the blood had stopped. By the time Evelina had finished, she was calm and I coaxed her to eat a little of the rabbit I had caught for her. She ate the liver before falling asleep between me and the boy. He is still unconscious and if he pulls through the night, it will be a small miracle.

  20 November. — We spent the night outside. The powder from the Dilo seed acted as our safe house, repelling the bloodless that wandered the vineyard. Helgado regained consciousness shortly before sunrise. He did not remember any of it and believed me when I told him he had been dragged off by a beast.

  “A wolf?”

  “They are known to roam these parts,” I said. “So close to the mountain border.”

  “It came out of nowhere,” he said. “I couldn’t even protect—”

  “How do you feel?” I hoped to evade any details about my saving him. I was relieved he had not seen Rangu.

  “Tired I guess,” he said. “Sore like hell too.”

  “You have lost some blood,” I said. “Drink this.” I handed him the mixture of grapes I had crushed into the canteen of water. I thought the sugar would help get him moving. He took a little swig and lay back down on the coat.

  “I’m queasy,” he said.

  Evelina was awake and gently wrapped herself around him, caressing his forehead. “Just rest now,” she said. He drifted off to sleep again, and I thought she had too until I heard her small voice. “He’s not going to die, is he?”

  “No,” I said.

  “Why did your friend do that?”

  I could not answer her question in a satisfactory manner. There was no reason—and every reason. It is our nature to feed on them, nothing else. I recalled the horror of Rangu’s face, as the swarm yanked him from me. He would suffer their bites just as Maxine and Jean had and would lose himself to a punishment no one deserves, if he had not already.

  The low rumble of thunder pulled me from my thoughts. Sheltered from the wind in our little enclosure between the vines, I had not thought to look up at the sky. The storm clouds had already rolled in, making the sky dark as ink. Water would be the death of us. I quickly packed up our things, waking Helgado and easing Evelina’s fright. “We have to find shelter,” I said.

  Helgado was groggy when he woke and could not stand, let alone walk.

  “You have to carry him,” Evelina said. I did not have the strength to carry them both and the bags—she knew this and offered to walk. “I can keep up,” she said. “I promise.”

  Before we left, I tore some of the branches from the vines and gave them to her. “They still have powder on them,” I said. “They will act as a deterrent.”

  I tossed the bags over one shoulder and carried Helgado on the other. Evelina walked in front of me, waving her vines back and forth. I was annoyed I had to carry the boy and the girl was left on foot. I clung to her, as she set the pace. The rain had not yet begun, but the sun was nowhere and flashes of lightning menaced the sky. Each time thunder broke, Evelina stopped.

  “We have to keep moving,” I said. “Quickly.”

  When I hunted the rabbit the day before, I spotted a winery. I had planned on bringing Evelina there last night before the attack on Helgado, but his injuries held us up. When we got close enough to the building, I could see the large open doors. I did not hear any frequencies, or smell any humans, and so we proceeded carefully, stopping on the threshold before entering. I listened for movement, for howls, and when I did not hear anything, I guided her in.

  The dark warehouse smelled like rotted fruit—and death. Evelina held onto the cuff of my sleeve, as I steered her through the blackness. An enormous vat sat in the center of the room and we disturbed the bed of flies that had settled on the spoiled pith, as we moved past it. The gnats surrounded us in another sort of swarm. “Close your mouth and eyes,” I said.

  We rushed through the infestation to the only door at the other end. I suppose I should have thought before throwing it open, but I was eager to get us out of the pests and into fresh air. As soon as I slammed the door behind us, I realized we were not outside. The howls pitched with the smell of the humans. Evelina screamed and clutched me tighter. I dropped the bags, and pushed Helgado and her up against the door, covering them with my body. The small swarm at the other end of the storeroom kept their distance, and I had enough time to formulate a plan. I lunged forward, kicking the
beam that held several large keg shelves in place. When the shelves came down, so did the wooden barrels. They rolled onto the swarm of bloodless, toppling them over like a ball hitting pins.

  With the bloodless distracted, I made for the roof. Using what strength I had left, I grabbed Evelina and Helgado together and scaled the shelf anchors up to a hatch in the ceiling. When I got to the top, I threw it open and climbed outside where the wind was fierce and raindrops ran down like strings without a break. I looked for a shelter for the two of them but could only find a small ledge near an exhaust vent. I put them down under the mantle, telling Evelina I would be right back. “Don’t leave us,” she said.

  I had no time to console her and tore back down the hatch to get the bags. I landed on the shelf I had knocked on a slant. I slid down to its end and peered over the ledge. The bloodless were scattered, clawing at the wall opposite the door. They climbed on top of one another to get away from the potent seeds, sitting in the pocket of the rucksack. I slipped down to the floor and retrieved the bags, scaling my way back up the wall anchors and out onto the roof again. It was only a matter of time before frenetic, able-bodied bloodless would be clambering up to the humans. I needed to get us back inside.

  I rifled through the rucksack and felt for the last three seeds. I took one and headed down the hatch again. I rested on the slanted shelf and rolled the seed in my hands just as I had seen Helgado do. But I could not make it into powder. As much as I clapped it between my hands and tried to break it, the ball would not dissolve. Finally, I realized my nature prevented the seed from breaking down. My skin was not skin but a casing that resisted heat and the seed would never soften in my hands.

  I rushed back up to the roof. The rain pelted harder now, as electricity fired up the sky. A quick glance out to the fields alerted me to the coming bloodless. The human scent, no longer masked by incense oil, drew them to the winery. I pulled Evelina from Helgado. “I need you,” I said.

  “What?”

  “You have to break the seed.”

  “I won’t leave him.”

  “You have no choice,” I said.

  “No!”

  I picked her up with two hands and ripped her from Helgado’s side. She cried out but I carried her to the hatch despite her protest. I set her down hard—I was enraged. She had triggered something in me with her refusal and I wanted to expose my fangs. It took an incredible amount of strength to keep them drawn up. My voice was not my own when I scolded her and threatened to throw Helgado in the pit of bloodless if she did not make the powder. I ignored her cries, as I pulled her down onto the shelving with me and forced the seed into her hand. Frightened, she obeyed her master and rubbed her hands together, rolling the seed between her palms. Like magic, the ball softened into powder.

  “Hold your hands open,” I said.

  Having regained my composure at the sight of the powder, I took her hands gently in mine and blew the purple dust out over the bloodless. Even before it settled to the ground, the swarm scattered, all sixteen of them collapsing almost instantly, as death arrested them once again.

  “Stay here,” I said.

  “No!” She clutched my arm. “Not again.”

  I was softer now, telling her I had to get Helgado out of the rain. She let go and I flew up the hatch, barely reaching him in time. Several bloodless had ascended the side of the building, using each other as a ladder to get up. I swept him and the bags into my arms and rushed back to Evelina. I sealed the hatch with an anchor I ripped from the wall.

  I am exhausted now, my only consolation the girl safely beside me. The two of them are asleep and will most likely sleep through the night. In the morning, we will try to make an escape.

  21 November. — We spent another day inside, the rain not letting up until sometime this evening. The boy needed the extra hours to recover and Evelina slept most of the day too. This unexpected stay, however, has depleted our water supply and we will need more tomorrow. I plan on leaving here in the morning whether the boy is ready or not. We cannot stay here any longer, as the bloodless decay all around us, making the room reek of infection. I do not want to risk Evelina getting ill. She needs a safe place to rest.

  I would be lying if I said it was easy to resist finishing off the boy. I could take his map, the girl, and get the seeds with a healthy fill of blood in me, but something keeps me from doing it. Someone. You—Byron—my beloved, you are making me soft. It is all for you—this is my gift to you. I promised you I would keep her safe and I vowed to save the living—human and vampire. I miss you so.

  Later. — While Helgado slept, Evelina spoke to me as if in a dream. We need to leave. Her sad eyes haunted me. “In the morning,” I said.

  She held my gaze. You must feed. “No, Evelina.” You must. I must. Yes, you must. I cannot protect you if I do not. You must. Her head fell to the side and I could smell her skin. You must. Helgado stirred in his sleep. I am starved—weak. You must. They will die if I do not. You must. I am our only hope. You must. The blush of her skin overwhelmed me; the nape of her neck begged for my puncture. You must. I will be gentle. Blood from the vial is one thing, but taking it directly from her is quite another. You must. My spine tingled, the back of my throat clenched, eager for her blood. I caressed the base of her neck, bathed in the smell of her skin. You must. I sunk my teeth in deep, closing my eyes as I pictured another, as I penetrated her flesh with the daintiest of fangs—I would not dare let my iron rods out. You must. The blood crept down my throat, as I lured it from the punctures at the base of her neck. The high was immediate, almost crippling in its pleasure. I forced myself to control the thrill, as it shot through every corner of my marbleized frame, touched every inch of my insides and made my hair stand on end. You must … stop. When her body went limp from my indulgence, I quit and held her in my arms, pulling her to me, as she recovered from my feeding.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  I laid her on the ground beside the sleeping Helgado and climbed out onto the roof to writhe in my ecstasy beneath the full moon. I will savor the taste of both mother and child for eternity.

  22 November. — We left the winery this morning. I walked the perimeter before we set out, my senses fired, acutely aware of every single living organism within a mile radius. I could hear the rats, as they scavenged in the weeds, the birds, as they nested between the vines, and the worms that hid in the earth from both of them. The rabbits would be awake, burrowing for their breakfast and I would catch a few before we left. It was good to feel godly again, potent and almighty.

  Neither vampire nor bloodless were in the vicinity and when I reached the back of the building, I discovered that the tarred bodies lying inside had acted as a repellent. I flew to the fencerow to retrieve my fresh game, catching three rabbits this time, each one bigger than the next. I slung them on my belt after skinning them with my talons. I pulled a couple of sticks from the hedges and brought them back with me to the winery, plucking some grapes before heading in to get Evelina.

  “What are those for?” She asked.

  “Breakfast,” I said.

  “No, the sticks?”

  I handed her the grapes, noticing she had pulled her collar up on her neck. “Repellent,” I said.

  I wrapped the ends of the sticks in a cloth dipped in the tar from the bodies in the storeroom. I gave one to each of them. Helgado was faring better but his shoulder was still in a sling and his wounds were swollen. Evelina steadied him on her arm when we left. They walked ahead of me together. He had consulted the map before leaving the winery and was convinced he could lead us to a well of fresh water from an Apennine stream. When we arrived at the spring a few hours after we set out, they rested while I filled the canteens.

  “We’ll head out of the montane region,” he said. “We have to head west toward the coast.”

  Evelina looked tired. “How far?” She asked.

  “Do you need me to carry you?”

  She shook her head.

  “
Here,” he said. “Eat something.” He handed her a strip of jerky but she refused.

  “I’ll take the heart,” she said, pointing to the naked rabbits on my belt.

  I ripped one off and tore it open, digging out the heart. It slipped from her grip when I handed it to her, but I was swift enough to catch it up before it hit the ground.

  “Whoa!” Helgado said. “How’d you do that?”

  I had not meant for him to see my swiftness.

  “What?” Evelina said.

  “He was so fast,” he said. “Like lightning speed or something.”

  “What are you talking about?” She said, stuffing the entire heart in her mouth. “You’re still a bit foggy. He just caught it, that’s all.”

  Although we have not spoken about my feeding, I can see its effect on her. Her desire for the animal’s organs, the blood—she is addicted to it now.

  When we headed back on the road, Helgado walked alongside me, keeping Evelina between us. “Uh,” he cleared his throat. “Thanks for saving my life.”

  “I will do anything to keep Evelina safe,” I said.

  “Ya,” he said. “I know, so, um, thanks for that too.”

  He showed gratitude as though she were his charge to protect. He forgets she is mine—and always will be.

  23 November. — It has been another full day of walking and Evelina is exhausted. We have stopped for the night not far from the sea cliff. We have not come across another soul on our trek. The repellent continues to work, and I am still satiated and strong. I have not needed to expend too much energy as of yet. I carry the girl sometimes but the extra weight is barely noticeable. The temptation, however, is another thing.

  Tonight I sensed the ominous presence, that energy the boy brought with him to the villa. Non-threatening, indistinct, it seems to come only after the sun goes down. I am waiting for it to reveal itself to me since it is so keen on following us.