by Helen Harper
‘Where’s Hale?’ I shout. ‘Where’s Vince Hale? Doesn’t he want to be here to witness your little show?’
‘Don’t be so stupid,’ sneers one of the four, an older man with a weak chin and flabby jowls. ‘He’s far too important for this.’
It’s not that he’s too important, it’s that he’s too concerned this might still go tits up. If this staged execution – as I assume it is meant to be – doesn’t receive the public support Tov V’ra hopes for, Hale will want to make sure he has deniability. And these guys are calling me stupid? This time I do roll my eyes. Almost immediately, I’m rewarded with a hard slap across my face.
‘Stop it, Abraham,’ Isaac hisses irritably. ‘We can’t afford for her to be bruised.’
‘Yeah, Abraham,’ I taunt. ‘You don’t want to damage the merchandise.’ The words are barely out of my mouth when Isaac sucker-punches me in the stomach. I wheeze and double up.
‘No one’s going to see those bruises,’ he tells me. Then he turns and beckons to someone outside my line of sight. I crane my neck until I see Lisa. ‘Come here,’ he commands. ‘You deserve to witness this up close and personal.’
I watch her approach. ‘She doesn’t look very keen,’ I murmur.
Isaac ignores me. I can tell from the stiffening of his shoulders that he heard me – and he knows I’m right. The expression on Lisa’s face suggests that she’d rather be anywhere else. This I can use.
‘Before you slit my throat or chop off my head or do whatever it is you’re planning to do,’ I say conversationally, ‘I don’t suppose you could tell the cameras where Melissa Greek is. Her family and friends are desperate.’
‘Shut up.’
‘She was about Lisa’s age,’ I continue. I let out a small laugh. ‘In fact, and you won’t believe this, Lisa’s doctor used to know Melissa Greek. Dr Bryant? Nice lady.’
Lisa’s eyes fly to mine. Good. I’ve got her attention.
‘Melissa was part of Tov V’ra. I know because she had one of those little trees as jewellery. Did you use her for sex? Pass her around and then kill her off when she decided she didn’t like being treated like an empty vessel for your sperm?’ I look around. ‘Or is she here? Is she out in the crowd watching this happen?’
‘There’s no one called Melissa here,’ Isaac snaps, more for Lisa’s sake than mine.
‘Ah,’ I say, nodding as if everything is now clear. ‘So you did murder her.’
Abraham gets up into my face. ‘Stop talking or I’ll disembowel you,’ he hisses.
I smile and open my mouth ever so slightly, letting him see my fangs. He backs off hastily and I laugh. I’m aware the sound has an edge of madness; I should probably not do that.
‘Turn on the cameras,’ Isaac orders.
Four people break away from the crowd. They’re obviously nervous but they’re also drones – what Isaac commands, they will do. I realise that this isn’t some avenging anti-vampire crusade; the sex, the people, even the damn clothing … it’s just a brainwashing cult.
With Abraham watching me, Isaac watching Lisa, the other two Tov V’ra leaders watching the camera operators and the crowd watching all of us, they complete their preparations. I stop paying attention to them and search again for O’Shea. I did tell him to get some sleep but if he’s curled up somewhere and missing all this action, I’m going to be pissed off. And possibly dead. I scan each face. He’s in full glamour, that much I know. It is pretty much a given that no tribers will be welcome here, whether they are vampires or not. The problem is that I don’t know which face or body he’s got on. He couldn’t choose one until he saw who was in Tov V’ra.
There’s a crackle of nervous energy in the air and all the mindless people are feeding it. Some are shifting from foot to foot, some are scratching or twitching or murmuring to friends. There’s only person who’s standing as still as a statue: a young man of dazzling good looks. When my gaze meets his, he gives me a minute nod. Ah ha. It figures that O’Shea picked someone young and handsome. I almost grin then I remember what’s going on and manage to stop myself.
The taller of the other two Tov V’ra leaders looks at his watch. ‘It’s time, Isaac. You’re up.’
Isaac gives a terse nod of acknowledgement and clears his throat. I can only see two of the cameras from here and both of them show steady green lights. Here we go. I half lean forward, curious despite myself.
‘We all know what sort of world we are living in today,’ Isaac intones. ‘The sort of world where freaks of nature – monsters – rule the streets. They treat us like food and we let them. They pretend that they are kind and benevolent but they’re not. They are evil through and through.’ He points at me. ‘They are vampires.’
I almost expect a drum roll to follow. It’s a shame when there’s nothing. I smile for the camera; I’d give a little wave if my hands weren’t bound. My mouth might be working just fine but my body is heavy and sluggish. Thank you, Magix, I think sourly.
‘What most people don’t realise,’ Isaac continues, ‘is that vampires are evil even before they are turned. The vast majority of the Families recruit only criminals.’
I stiffen. That’s a well-kept secret. For a second, I wonder who’s been blabbing but it’s obvious – it has to be Medici. Prick.
Isaac tuts sadly. ‘They also use a human façade to stop us from fearing them. The true face of a vampire is far more terrifying.’
He jerks his head. The crowd turns dutifully, looking not at me but at the shape being dragged out from the church. It’s the crazed Montserrat vampire from earlier. He’s dressed in midnight blue to advertise his original allegiance. Everyone knows I was Montserrat as well; Isaac is linking me to him and vice-versa.
The look on the bloodguzzler’s face is even more vicious. Being taunted by the promise of blood which is then snatched away from you will do that. He strains at the leash around his neck, his veins bulging, while his eyes roll and writhe in his skull. Whatever sense of humanity he once had is long gone.
One camera tracks his progress towards us, the other stays focused on Isaac. ‘We’ve let the Families get away with murder,’ he says. ‘Even when a tiny defenceless child called…’ He frowns. ‘Damn it. What was that kid called?’
‘Tommy Glass,’ someone from the crowd provides helpfully.
He nods. ‘Edit that later,’ he instructs, beginning again. ‘Even when a tiny defenceless child called Tommy Glass is slaughtered in his own garden, we let the vampires get away with it.’ He shakes his head then his fist, then his head again. He’s wasted here – he should start his own dance troupe. ‘This is what a real vampire looks like,’ he yells, pointing at the unfortunate insane bloodguzzler. ‘Not this!’ he turns his finger on me.
I don’t look at him. The Montserrat vampire, whoever he used to be, is snapping and snarling. The metal round his neck is bulging. Each time he snarls and jerks, it shifts, expanding and contracting. I’m pretty certain it’s not supposed to do that. The Magix techies apparently aren’t as clever as either they or I thought. The slave collar is about to give way and no one, apart from me, realises.
‘Isaac, look at the vampire.’
Isaac ignores me and continues his anti-vampire diatribe. I look at Abraham. ‘Listen to me. The bloodguzzler over there is about to break free. You’ve starved him. He’s completely insane. If he breaks out of that leash, there will be a bloodbath.’
‘Shut up, bitch.’
Good grief. Does anyone around here have any sense? I grit my teeth, ready to try Lisa, but it is too late. There’s a creak, followed by a snap as the collar finally gives way, then the bloodguzzler launches himself towards Isaac. It makes sense – he’s the nearest.
The crowd screams. They turn to run, tripping over each other in a frantic bid to get away. ‘Release my handcuffs!’ I shout. ‘I can take him on!’ Abraham turns, fear getting the better of him. Bloody wanker. ‘Isaac!’ I scream. ‘Let me go!’
Isaac has faster reflexes than I gave
him credit for. Rather than use them to set me free so I can help, he grabs hold of Lisa and thrusts her in front of him. Then he throws himself down on the ground, flattening his body against the grass. The vampire is almost on her and there’s nothing I can do.
I squeeze my eyes shut, drawing up as much energy and strength as I can muster with the energy-sapping handcuffs wrapped round me. Then I fling myself in front of her. The vampire collides with me, falling backwards. He lets out a howl of frustration and picks himself up, fangs gleaming.
‘Don’t do this,’ I whisper. ‘You’re going to regret it. You’re better than this.’
He doesn’t hear me. He’s nothing more than an empty shell filled with the animalistic desire to kill and eat. I could probably take him on but my hands are tied behind my back and I can barely move my legs. This is going to be interesting.
From out of the corner of my eye, I see O’Shea’s glamourised form move towards us. I shake my head frantically, not looking directly at him but praying he gets the message. There’s another way. There’s always another way.
‘Lisa,’ I say quietly. ‘On a count of three, I need you to move left. That camera is heavy. Give it one sharp shove towards the vampire and with luck it’ll fall on him and trap him.’ It won’t hold him for long but it’ll give me enough time to end this.
She doesn’t say anything but she suddenly grips my upper arm. She gets it, she knows this is her only chance – after all, the bloodguzzler will only kill me to get to her. It’s her he wants.
‘One,’ I say, watching the saliva drip from his mouth and his gaunt muscles tense. ‘Two. Three!’
She darts over. At first I think the camera is too heavy for her to topple then with one great shove she does it, just as the vampire swivels and leaps. The camera crashes into him and he falls to the ground. I’d like to say I run over, but it’s more of a shuffle. I fling myself down. He’s pushing at the camera and gnashing his teeth.
‘I’m sorry,’ I whisper into his ear. Then I use my teeth once more. Unfortunately ripping out throats with my fangs is becoming my thing.
Under normal circumstances an older vampire like this one would be able to heal from this kind of wound. The Medici one didn’t because I threw her off a roof; this one doesn’t because he’s already too weak. Isaac and the rest of Tov V’ra have a lot to answer for.
When it’s clear that he’s safe, Isaac picks himself up. ‘You see!’ he bellows into the nearest camera. ‘You see what vampires are capable of!’
‘For fuck’s sake. He only did that because you turned him insane.’
Isaac’s face twists into an angry snarl. Interestingly, it matches the look the Montserrat vamp had on its face. He marches over and pulls me up by my arm then starts dragging me backwards.
‘We are running out of time,’ he shrieks. ‘Get back here!’
He yanks me to the maypole, grabs hold of the heavy chain and uses it to bind me firmly to the pole, looping it round my ankles, my torso and my shoulders. He’s in a hurry. I frown. That’s when I feel the familiar prickle across my skin. Oh. Dawn.
Some of the crowd who stayed behind, including O’Shea, press forwards. Isaac stares into the camera.
‘Sunlight is God’s gift!’ he yells. ‘It gives us life!’ His voice now has an edge of hysteria. ‘It’s also proof that vampires are unnatural. If they can’t stand sunlight, that’s our sign that they are not meant to be!’
This isn’t going as smoothly as Isaac had hoped. His three fellow Tov V’ra leaders, Abraham included, are nowhere to be seen. The watching crowd, helped along by O’Shea’s mutters, is growing uneasy.
‘She saved us!’ one of them calls out hoarsely. ‘She stopped that vampire!’
‘Yeah!’ someone else chimes in. ‘Bo Blackman isn’t evil. She’s the Red Angel!’
The chorus is growing but my time is running out. The first streaks of light are appearing in the sky. It was a clear night, I think dully; it’s going to be a beautiful day. At least I’ll get to see the sun one last time.
‘No!’ The word rips out of O’Shea and he strides forward, shoving Isaac to one side. He’s maintaining his glamour but the expression on his face is all Devlin. ‘She’s not done anything wrong.’
I have, I want to say. I’ve not been a good person. I feel my skin burning. O’Shea drops to my feet and starts fumbling with the chain.
‘Hang on, Bo,’ he says. ‘I’ve got this. I’ve got you. I’m not going to lose you as well.’
I feel like I’m on fire; any second now I will be. ‘Get away, Devlin,’ I croak. ‘It’s not safe.’
He starts to unwrap the chain. ‘You might be a bitch sometimes, Bo Blackman, but you’re my bitch. Shut up.’
‘Stop it! Leave her!’ Isaac shrieks. ‘She deserves to die! She’s a monster!’
Can’t really argue with that. I tilt my head back and feel the first rays of sun on my upturned face. This is it. There will be blisters and burning and then, at the end, there will be nothing left. It’s a hell of a way to go – and it will really bloody hurt.
O’Shea loosens the chain completely and I hear it clank onto the ground. He tugs frantically at my body. There’s a shout. I open my eyes to see Isaac flinging himself at O’Shea, fists flying in all directions. Several members of the crowd break away. They’ll tear him apart. If I can just save O’Shea before I spontaneously combust then it’ll be enough.
The magic of the handcuffs is too strong. I trip over the damned chain and fall flat on my face. I roll to my side. I have to get up, there are only seconds to go, I have to get up…
‘Bo.’
There’s a click. All of a sudden I feel a rush of energy as my body returns to normal and the handcuffs fall away. I turn to see a man standing there. I’ve never seen him before in my life and he’s brazenly displaying a Tov V’ra tree, tattooed on his neck for the world to see. I blink in confusion and he looks away. ‘You’re not all bad,’ he mutters.
‘Bo.’ It’s O’Shea. The watching humans didn’t try to hurt him, they helped him. I take in Isaac’s crumpled body. O’Shea is standing next to him, his glamour fading. The Tov V’ra followers are staring at him in surprise but he’s only staring at me.
‘It’s daytime. You’re still here.’
I smile sadly at him. No, I can’t withstand sunlight yet; I’m not strong enough. I’m burning up.
I look down at my arms: they’re fine. Then I reach up and touch my face. O’Shea is right.
‘You’re not a newbie any more,’ he says. He looks round at the others. ‘And she’s not a freak or a monster either!’
Isaac starts to laugh. He’s on the ground, completely defeated and quite possibly staring his own death in the face, and he’s laughing.
Lisa stares at him with hatred in her eyes. ‘I believed in you. I believed in this cause. At least the vampires have an excuse, but you were prepared to let one of them kill me just so you could be headline news.’
I struggle to my feet. That’s when I notice she’s holding a knife. Her hands look slick with sweat but her grip is tight. I know exactly what she’s planning and there’s no way I’m going to let her do it. Ignoring the pain coursing through my body, I lurch over to her and put my hand on hers.
‘Don’t,’ I tell her. ‘It’s not worth it. He’s not worth it. Don’t turn to darkness because of this place or because of these people. You might never come back.’
‘He deserves to die.’
‘He’ll be dealt with.’
It’s touch and go. I can see the desperation in her eyes and how badly she wants him to hurt. This has to be her decision; I’m not going to make it for her. I can only guide her to the right one like Michael once tried to do for me.
Eventually, her shoulders sag and she drops the knife and it thuds to the ground. I leave it where it is and turn to O’Shea, who’s silently watching the proceedings. If I choose to end Isaac here, he’ll let me. He won’t even judge me for it. I don’t know what he went through
in those black weeks following Connor’s death but I’m betting he’s had to deal with his own darkness too.
‘Call Foxworthy,’ I tell him. ‘He can round up the others and deal with this mess.’
He quirks up an eyebrow. ‘Are you sure?’
I nod. I bend down and take Isaac’s phone from him, putting in a number I know better than my own.
‘This is Michael Montserrat.’
‘It’s me.’
There’s a pause. ‘Where have you been? I was worried.’
‘I’m fine.’ I glance down at the sun dappling across my skin. ‘I’m really fine.’
He exhales. ‘I don’t like it when you don’t keep in touch, Bo. It makes me … anxious.’
I can’t stop myself smiling. ‘I love you. I know I said it before but I want to make sure you heard me. I love you. You’re an overly responsible megalomaniac with the weight of the world on your shoulders but I still love you.’
‘And you’re a hard-headed, stubborn witch who doesn’t know what’s good for her, and who thinks she’s all alone out there in the big, bad world when there are all sorts of people who care about her more than she realises.’ He chokes slightly and I blink, taken aback. I made Michael Montserrat choke. ‘I love you too,’ he says.
‘I should beat you into a pulp for calling me a witch,’ I growl.
He laughs.
‘Listen, something’s going on. Hale and Medici are up to something and I don’t know what. They want to bring down the Families and I think they’re planning something huge. There’s something about martyrs.’ I curse. I wish I knew more. ‘They want to hurt you, Michael.’
‘We figured something was up. Don’t worry, Bo. The four Families are staying inside until we get a handle on exactly what’s going on. We’re not about to make any stupid moves. It’ll be fine.’
I glance round at the assembled people. Some look shamefaced, others frustrated. Things had to come to a head between the humans and the vampires; they’ve been heading towards boiling point for months but now it feels as if the valve has been released. We can all go back to the way things were. I meet O’Shea’s eyes again. Most of us anyway.