Blood Reign

by Harvey W. McCarthy

  "No, he never mentioned if they asked them to translate them," Larry replied.

  "However, if they did and he refused, it could explain why that they never got rid of them. They were hoping that he'd change his mind."

  Larry shook his head. "Regardless, why they had them is irrelevant. Right now, we need to get back to focusing on finding Chris. I still don't think keeping the council out of the loop will help us."

  It was David's turn to shake his head as he paced around their room. "No, we need to find him on our own."

  "With some help that we have to lie to obtain," Larry added.

  "No, we will tell them why we are recruiting them, we just won't tell the council," David added.

  Larry shook his head again. "We have to play by the council rules," Larry reiterated.

  David sighed. He sat on his bed and faced Larry. He placed his right hand on Larry's shoulder. "Larry, you have been my friend, my mentor, and another Dad to me for years. I have listened to your advice and I have treated it as gospel. Well, this time, I need you to listen to what I have to say. We cannot play by the council's rules any longer."

  Larry looked directly at his former student. "Okay, why not?"

  David smirked. "Because our enemies don't."

  "And if we want to beat them?"

  David smiled. "We have to start playing by their lack of rules. Until we do, they will continue to kill us, not beat us."

  Larry nodded and sighed. He smirked. "I knew one day that we would have a conversation like this one. The council needs someone to challenge their ways. The vampires don't play by the rules. The council's ways have kept many, many people alive for centuries but it has done nothing to stop the spread of the vampires. They continue to exist."

  "And they will continue to exist until we find a way to eliminate them."

  "Maybe by getting Chris back and if we can get our hands on those tomes, maybe he can discover some secrets from them," Larry said.

  "Or we can get him back, find the queen and kill her, and then burn the tomes," David retorted.

  "Wishful thinking," Larry admitted, "But both plans require us finding Chris. Since you appear to be in charge, where do we start boss?"

  "I don't…" his voice trailed off as he dashed to his laptop that rested on the table provided by the hotel.

  "What?" Larry asked.

  "I know where to start. It just hit me," he said as he started tapping away at the keys.

  "What are you doing?" Larry asked as David loaded the log in screen for the council's network. "They probably cancelled or blocked your account."

  "Probably," David said as he continued to load several other programs in addition to the council provided programs.

  "Well then how do you expect to…"

  "The same way that our enemies have been doing it," David answered the unfinished question.

  "I am not following," Larry said.

  David paused as he waited for several programs to load. He pointed to the other open chair at the table. "Don't you find it interesting that we have never heard a report from the recent battle led by General Scott? You know that he went because the queen ended up in our midst. I doubt that she would have been brought back as a trophy," he said.

  "Well, I believe that they are embarrassed by how the battle…"

  David looked directly at his friend again. "Larry, don't you find it interesting that absolutely no one has said anything about the battle so it can be recorded in the archives? Every battle, whether won or lost, is found in the archives."

  Larry rubbed his chin. "Well…"

  "No one survived, Larry. Over fifteen hundred men and women died just days ago and there are no reports of their deaths anywhere. It's like another Titanic disaster, but there are no survivors."

  Larry nodded. "Very true."

  "Always someone comes back and this time, they didn't. And friends and family, who may or may not have known what they were doing, will never know what happened to them," David pressed.

  "So where are you going with this?" Larry asked.

  The computer beeped and the council's encrypted databases and communications networks appeared on his screen. David turned back to his computer. "As I said, the same place that our enemies have been," he said.

  Larry gasped as he realized what David meant as he saw him hacking into the highly secure programs. "You don't think…"

  David turned back to his friend again. "I don't think, I know. They have been hacking into our system and…"

  Larry turned completely pale again. "They knew that they were coming."

  David entered several commands into his computer. "No, they told them to come. I think that they fed us that information. We could never track the queen and then suddenly she was in the council's backyard and barely guarded. She knew that she needed to get into the archives to find the tome. When she had control over General Scott, whether it was through torture or that fucking mind control trick of hers, she learned that the tome was right here. Either way, the council played right into her game and they lost. Now, they are too embarrassed to admit it."

  "So how does hacking into the council's archives help us?" Larry asked.

  David chuckled. "It has the transcripts of all of the documented vampire communications that they thought that they had hacked into. Where in reality, they left them open or at least easily hacked, so they could track what we were doing."

  "And if you can find those transcripts?"

  David smiled. "I might have enough information to find where that hole in their system is located and then I can use it to our advantage."

  "To send the council wrong information?" Larry asked incredulously.

  "Aux contraire, my friend, to see how they were sending it to us and maybe send them a few incorrect things ourselves. If I am really lucky, I can find a way into their network and see what they are doing. Maybe they will slip up and mention their queen," he said.

  "And where the queen is located…" Larry started.

  "…Chris shouldn't be fair behind."

  "So you really think that he is still alive?" Larry asked hopefully.

  David continued to enter commands into his computer. "Yes, I do. She didn't kill him before and I don't think she will kill him now. Plus, she mentioned in the video that he didn't get away. Also, she would have bragged about killing him."

  "The last time she wanted to trade him for the tome," Larry said.

  "True. I think she is counting on him knowing where the last tome is located," David said.

  "And if he doesn't?"

  David paused. "Then she is going to either keep him as a play toy and she will torture him slowly or…"

  "…she will deprive him of holy water and his suppressed vampire side will come to the surface," Larry said as he finished David's line of thought.

  "Either way, we better find him soon."

  Larry stood and patted his friend on his shoulder. "I think it is time to call in a few favors."

  The computer beeped and David smiled.

  "I'd make those calls as soon as possible," he said.

  Larry opened his cell phone and pressed it to his ear. David began to type furiously. The only audible sounds were the sounds of the ringing phone and David's feverish typing pace. Seconds passed before the phone clicked. Larry cleared his throat.

  "This is Dr. Efron calling for…yes, I'll hold."

  They waited.

  CHAPTER 27

  LOCATION UNKNOWN

  The train, to destinations unknown, continued to click along the tracks. A small crack along the bottom of the door was the only light. The guards roaming outside his cabin would disrupt the steady pattern of light every hour. They would stop, listen, and then move along. Chris didn't want any visitors. He would occasionally stare at the light on the floor but his focus was on the unseen ceiling. He waited.

  His restraints chaffed his wrists and ankles as he shifted his body. He tried to find a comfortable spot. His restraints were very tight and
his movement was limited. He could only shift slightly. His neck and back were cramping. He could feel the knots forming in his shoulders. He stretched his neck from side to side. His neck popped and he briefly felt some relief. The relief was soon replaced with a dull pain as his body protested against the change. He shifted again. The cramp in his lower back became more painful. Pain shot down his legs. He tried to relax. He closed his eyes.

  "Father, do you still hear me?" he whispered softly.

  He waited for the warmth that he associated with prayer to wash over his body. He felt a slight tingle. He closed his eyes tighter. He prayed silently. Another tingle crept into his body, but not as strong as the previous sensation. He opened his eyes.

  "Have you forsaken me?" he asked.

  A tear leaked from his eye. He closed his eyes again. He fought away the tears. Agony, from sorrow and hunger, filled his body. They were only feeding him enough blood to keep him alive. He was only getting enough water to keep himself hydrated. He wasn't receiving true holy water so his blood rage was steadily growing. He knew that he was slipping closer and closer into the darkness. He was weak and his body needed nourishment. He struggled against his bonds and his sorrow grew. Soon the sorrow and fatigue had consumed him.

  His eyes opened to the darkness. His wrists and ankles bled. His body ached. His knotted and cramped muscles protested against every movement. His stomach growled. His body didn't want to move but he forced every movement. Survival called to him. His instincts told him to lay down and die. He crept onward. I cannot be called, he thought, I cannot be called.

  "And why not?" a voice asked. "It is your destiny."

  He immediately turned to the direction of the voice. He turned in every direction, but the darkness covered him. He fell to his knees. He lifted his tired arms towards the heavens. He wept.

  "I am not prepared," he protested.

  "Yes, you are," the voice said from directly behind him.

  He turned slowly. He was standing behind himself. His vampire face smiled evilly.

  "We are close to becoming one," his vampire form said.

  "I will never be one of you," Chris said as he stood slowly to face his evil side.

  His vampire form threw its head back and laughed. The giggling monster looked at Chris. It giggled again. "Thanks, I needed that. All these years of torment and struggling have been very depressing."

  Chris struck his vampire form. His fist connected solidly with its chin. Its head snapped to the right. His hand throbbed from the force of the blow. The vampire's head, like in the movies, spun completely around. It tilted its head from one side to the other and its neck popped. It smiled again.

  "Thanks, it was a little stiff," it replied.

  Angrily, Chris stuck again and again. Each blow was harder and heavier than the last. Bones cracked and blood splattered after each repeated blow. The vampire stood perfectly still. The sound of each punishing blow thundered in the vast darkness. After several minutes, the blows became less and less forceful. His arms became heavy. He slumped over and panted. The vampire, who did not have a bruise or a scratch smiled.

  He leaned over next to his panting foe. "Don't you understand?" it asked.

  "Understand what?" Chris asked between pants.

  The vampire backhanded Chris and he flew backwards. He landed on his back and all air escaped his body. The vampire chuckled. His leather boots clicked on the unseen floor as he approached. Painfully, Chris pulled himself up onto his elbows. The vampire planted his foot in Chris' chest and slammed his body back onto the hard black surface.

  "This is a battle that you can't win," it said.

  "That's what you think," Chris said.

  The vampire removed his foot and extended its hand. "I know so."

  Chris took its hand and he was helped to his feet. He stared the vampire in its eyes.

  "I won't join you," he said firmly.

  "Join me?" it chuckled. "Look around."

  Chris looked from left to right. Darkness was everywhere. He looked back and the vampire was gone. He turned completely around and the vampire had returned. The vampire smiled and slapped him in the face. Chris shook the stars from his vision and raised his fist. The vampire was gone. He blinked and he was slapped again. The vampire had returned.

  "Get it yet?" his dark form asked.

  Chris shook his head as stars sparkled in his eyes.

  "I…am…YOU!" the vampire said.

  "NO!" he screamed.

  The vampire held out his arms. "Can't you see? I've been you all along. You are surrounded by darkness."

  "No! I will fight…"

  "Yourself?" the vampire asked.

  Chris swung and his fist went through the vampire. It laughed heartily. Chris shook his head. It disappeared and then reappeared by his left ear.

  "You…"

  It appeared by his right ear.

  "…can't…"

  It appeared over his left shoulder.

  "…stop…"

  It appeared in front of him.

  "…your destiny."

  "Never," Chris seethed.

  It laughed again. "You have already accepted it."

  "I was cursed."

  "No," it corrected, "You had to want it or I wouldn't be here."

  "I am a man of God," Chris spat.

  The vampire held out its arms. "Then where is the good Chris to appear on your shoulder to talk you out of everything bad and evil? Where is he?"

  "I…I…I…"

  The vampire smiled. "You can't tell me, can you?"

  "No, I can't," Chris admitted.

  The vampire's smile broadened. "Exactly," it hissed.

  The realization of the vampire's words penetrated Chris' soul. His legs weakened. He dropped to his knees. He tried to pray but the words escaped him. He looked up and the vampire smiled. Its ghoulish features stared back at him. Tears welled in his eyes. He dropped his head.

  "You're starting to understand," the vampire said. "If you really didn't want me here, you would have killed yourself centuries ago."

  "Suicide is denounced by the church."

  The vampire scoffed. "Still adhering to those ancient dogmatic rules, are we? For five hundred years, you have held onto a hope that you knew was never coming. You know that your destiny is with me, you just have to accept it."

  His tears, which had flowed freely, had stopped. His face twisted into an evil grin. He stood slowly. The vampire smiled. He looked the vampire in the eyes and smirked.

  "Good," the vampire hissed as he put his arm around Chris' shoulders. "We have much to discuss.

  They disappeared into the darkness.

  * * *

  SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE

  The train moved rapidly through the French countryside. Larry watched the historic landscape that had survived two world wars and countless other wars during its history pass by his window. The beautiful landscape, intermixed with classic architecture, took him back to simpler times. He sighed as he rested his chin in his hand. He allowed the peaceful scene to penetrate his soul. He closed his eyes and opened them again to the wonders of nature and the beauty of a foreign land. His peaceful moment was interrupted by a member of the staff.

  "Pardon me, sir," the man, with a French accent, said.

  "Yes?" Larry asked as he reluctantly turned away from the window.

  "This arrived for you," the man said as he handed Larry a sealed envelope.

  "Merci," Larry said as he took the white envelope from the white gloved man.

  "You are welcome," the well-dressed man said.

  Larry reached in his pocket. "And for you…"

  "Not necessary, sir," he said before he turned and left.

  Larry shrugged. He flipped the blank envelope over and slid his finger under the sealed flap. He tore the envelope open. He removed the folded white computer paper and placed the empty envelope on the seat next to him. He opened the folded paper and read:

  Private dining car. Five minutes.


  He picked up the discarded envelope and he placed the letter back inside. He folded the envelope in half and placed it in his inside jacket pocket. He looked around as he stood. A young woman made eye contact with him and she smiled. He smiled back. He straightened his suit coat and he headed down the aisle. He smiled at every passenger who made eye contact with him as he moved from one car to the next. Five minutes later, he arrived at the door to the only known private dining car.