by Unknown
This resting period had given me time to think. It all happened so fast. She was here and now she’s not. He was human and now he’s not. We were safe and now we’re not.
I was furious with the assassins. They’d destroyed my world in less than twenty-four hours.
Growing up I took the abuse. I allowed my classmates to put me down because I wasn’t model pretty. I let them destroy my self-esteem. They walked all over me and I said not one word in defense. Not this time. Not now. I refused to accept this. I was timid before but I’d learned to not take crap from anyone. Vamps are notorious fighters and I’m a vamp now. Just as Kai and Kalel came together to battle in honor of their father, I’d planned to stand together with my dad and take down these bullies.
“Vamp yourself for war Dad. We will fight for Mom,” I said dabbing his forehead again.
The hours lingered while passing. I never left his side. People were in and out checking on us. They offered me reprieve, even insisted I take a rest, but I declined them all.
Right around twenty-four hours his heart stopped beating completely. I held my breath hanging tightly to his weak pulse. He wasn’t breathing, his heart stopped beating and eventually his pulse was still. They assured me this was normal but my creativity wreaked havoc on my mind during this time. I settled on my knees on the floor, my elbows resting on the sheets, my hands secure around one of his as I prayed silently but hard. I stretched my hands and his to my temple; the entire process tried me. Waiting tried my patience…
And wait I did. I sat in that position for hours more. My resolve was dwindling.
Suddenly I heard his heart beat again. It was faint, but ever present. I listened closely, silently, as it slowly continued its new spurted pace. I couldn’t help but smile at the sound of it.
Shortly thereafter, he stirred. I jumped up and watched him closely. His eyes flew open, though they weren’t the same anymore, a bit more glossy; though the same hue, somehow different.
“Dad?” I whispered cautiously.
“Everything. So clear. I see.” His words were jumbled a bit. I recalled how overwhelmed I was in the beginning. He sat up and looked around as if he was seeing for the first time.
“Dad?” I called again. He shot in front of me startling me. This would definitely take some getting use to. “How do you feel?” I stumbled back a bit. Strangely I was afraid of him. New vamps are unpredictable; he seemed unpredictable.
“Great,” he chuckled. He raced around the bed amazed by his own speed and grace. I stood stunned into a corner. The door cracked open. Kellan and Kalel observed the scene before venturing in.
Abruptly my dad burst through the door and took off running. I followed faster than I’d ever traveled; up the stairs, through the open door – idiots left the door open – through the house and out the door.
“Dad!” I called but he didn’t slow.
“He’s hunting,” Kalel explained at my side.
I sped up to him and yanked his arm. He tossed me like a small pebble against a tree; he’s strong.
“Damn it,” I cursed under my breath not missing a beat before I was back on his trail.
“You okay?!” Kellan yelled. He didn’t stop.
“I’m fine,” I grumbled.
Thankfully Kalel and Kellan caught up with him. They each took an arm but were struggling to restrain him. I went and stood in front of him.
“Dad.” My voice was feeble and shook slightly. His eyes stung me. They were dark and hazy. I felt like I was talking to a demon in my dad’s body.
“Dad,” I spoke again waiting for him to calm down. His foot jerked out. I leapt backwards but he still connected knocking me down. The guys instantly tightened their grips.
“Dad,” I said as I picked myself back up. The tears swelled threatening to brim over. “Dad, stop. Listen,” I pleaded. He stilled as if recognition finally hit him.
“Lex?” he looked me straight on.
“Yea,” I whispered. He convulsively swallowed, serum I guessed, while turning his head about. He was trying to control himself.
“He needs to feed,” I stated the obvious but my tone was heavily defensive and demanding. I quickly apologized. “Sorry. I just… he needs to feed.”
Kai took charge. “Come along Stew. Let’s get you a human.”
The men escorted my dad back to the house. Kalel let him take a human from the holding cell, much to my disapproval. I argued a bit from a morals perspective. I knew how hard it was to stop. And I knew he wouldn’t. But he needed to feed; he needed the nourishment. I finally surrendered and retreated to the living room. Kellan remained by my side.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I knew things could go this way. I guess inside I hoped they wouldn’t. Maybe I lied to myself and believed they wouldn’t. He’s been around us for so long I assumed it’d be different.” We were silent for a minute before I cracked. “I feel like I made a big mistake. That this is a big mistake. Before at least I had one parent even though he was human and weak. Now… now I have none…” I pulled my knees to my cheek and curled into a ball. Kellan wrapped me in his arms but remained quiet. He knew I needed an undisturbed moment to deal with my new reality.
“Come Leka,” Kai told me to follow him with a hand gesture. When I didn’t move from the couch or Kellan’s arms he said it like an order. “Come Leka.”
“I really should wait here for my dad,” I offered. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving in the event something happened.
“He’ll be fine. Rafi and Kalel are with him. Please come with me.” He extended his hand towards me. I ignored his hand but stood up to follow him; Kellan was right beside me.
“You stay here. I want a moment alone with Leka. Please.” The courtesy at the end was clearly an afterthought. Kellan looked at me searching for what I wanted.
“I’ll be fine. Just stay here in case my dad needs you,” I thought. Again he heard what I projected. He nodded and walked down towards the holding cell.
“Where are we going?” I asked as he lead me through a side door. The only thing I knew to be down this corridor was the weapons room.
“The weapons room.”
“I’ll actually get to see it?” He looked at me sideways and smiled a crooked, goofy smile.
There were three doors back to back with code and key locks to get through followed by a final scanned access door. We walked into a closet sized room with a few weapons on the walls and along the floor.
“This isn’t it,” he said noticing my skepticism. He placed his hand on another scan pad. A quick beep sounded and air tight pressure released. He pushed open the door and led me through.
“Wow. Now this is a weapons room…” I was awestruck. My jaw was hinged open in the perfect ‘O.’ The site was overwhelming and utterly breathtaking.
Think of the biggest warehouse you’ve ever seen and multiply it by ten. The ceilings were a good thirty feet high which baffled me since we hadn’t gone down any stairs. All around the walls in pool stick holder-type racks were swords of all shapes and sizes. There were floor to ceiling shelves full of boxes and barrels of who knows what. In the center was a large four walled thick glass box, again floor to ceiling, with grenades. Four more lines behind the first with more tiny bombs of some sort. There was one row that spanned the entire warehouse of wine racks. Instead of wine though they held guns; a lot of rifles but many others I didn’t know by name too.
“Follow me. Don’t touch anything. We have trick boxes that will explode if touched,” he warned.
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
I tagged close behind him down the center row of shelves and crates. Midway, beside the glass enclosures he took a quick right. It was then that I saw for the first time a science lab. Three men in white lab coats busied themselves amongst the bubbling chemicals and massive computers with blue holographically imaged screens.
“Hello Mr. Kulani,” greeted a blonde haired tech. I had a hard time telling his origin. His features w
ere exotic yet normal.
“Cut the crap. Is it ready?” Kai demanded. His chastise surprised me.
“Yes sir,” the man replied not thrown the slightest by Kai’s tone with him. “Do I get to meet the lady?” he asked as he searched for what Kai requested.
“Leka, this is Ralph, Gabi’s cousin. Ralph, Leka,” he sighed agitated into being cordial I suppose.
“Gabi, as in slightly tan, brunette and Spain Spanish Gabi upstairs?” I checked.
“Her mother was Russian. I’m her aunt’s child,” he explained as he handed a box to Kai. He extended his hand towards me and I shook it but couldn’t get over how different the two were.
“Where did the name come from? It doesn’t sound Russian…”
“It’s not. My birth name is Rachevik.”
“Raw-shay-vick? Ok, I sort of like Ralph better now…” Ralph was strange. He was informal yet formal. He was loose yet stiff. Something was off about him but I couldn’t put my finger on it…
“Come Leka, Ralph has work to do.”
“Yes, of course I do.” I heard an edge in his response. I made a mental note to drill Kai about him later.
“It was nice meeting you,” I waved awkwardly as Kai was already pulling me back towards the door. Ralph smiled and waved as we rounded back to the center aisle.
When we were back in the closet he set the case on the single wood table in the corner. It looked more like a café table since it was barely 2.5x2.5 and the top hit near my chest. He opened the box and lifted out two more, one small and one large.
“These are for you and you alone Leka. They will only work with you,” he said. He set down the large one and revealed the content in the small one. Inside was a silver necklace with a charm, a thick upside down cross with intricate carvings on it.
“It’s beautiful,” I gasped. He chuckled. “What?” I was confused by his reaction to my comment.
“It’s a necklace but it’s not meant to be a necklace.”
“Run that by me again.”
“It won’t work for me; remember it works only with you.”
“Ok?”
“Here. Put it on for now. I’ll show you after.” I turned and he gently put the necklace around my neck.
“Thanks.” I put my hand over it to make sure it was secure.
“Don’t!” I jumped back throwing my hands up, startled by his reaction.
“Sorry,” I shrugged. How was I supposed to know what I could and couldn’t do with it…
He moved on to the big box. The things he removed were surprisingly familiar; a gold dagger like his and a holder. The holder was on a belt about an inch in width.
“You can wear it like a belt, sling it over your shoulders like a purse or take off the holder and stick it in your pant pocket. That’s what I do. Whatever you choose, you have to guard it with your life because it’s really the only thing that can save yours.” He bent slightly and buckled the belt around me and placed the dagger in its new home.
“I… ugh… This is too much. I don’t deserve this. I… I don’t even know how to use it…” I stuttered trying to compose myself.
“Kalel gave you money and I’m giving you these. They’re my way of saying thank you and you can’t refuse.”
“I don’t even know what to say. Everything is such a blur,” I shook my head, as if that would help. It didn’t.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he smiled at me; his whole face lit up. “Now let’s go try this necklace.”
We went outside through yet another side door. We took our time which only gave me more time to think about other things. Every now and then I would think, ok, more like worry… or panic, about my dad. I knew all three men together could handle him, but I was still uneasy with the situation. Kai kept giving me side glances confirming that, yet again, my thoughts weren’t private. He winked proving what I just thought. I scowled at him.
“Amusing,” he smirked.
“Annoying,” I shot back.
“We’ll go into the forest.” We walked in the way I came that first fateful trip. Kai snapped his fingers and the three monkeys who cornered me dropped out of the sky.
“Keep watch. Don’t ask questions,” he ordered. They nodded and dispersed.
“Ok, grab the top half of the charm and yank it off your neck.”
“Won’t it break?” I was taken aback by his directions.
“No. Now grab and pull. Hold it away from you just in case the idiot didn’t program it right.” I obeyed. The cross flashed twice. “Ok, it’s ready. Put the end up to that smaller tree there.” I was hesitant at his instructions, unsure what to even expect, but I trusted him.
I pressed the end of the tree trunk. I froze when the tree was suddenly electrocuted, lit up with sparks flying everywhere. It finally surrendered to the shock and snapped sideways to the ground. All the leaves were now brown and smelled burnt.
“Great. Now hold the necklace by the chain and swing it in a circle, front to back, at your side.”
I carefully whipped it around as he instructed. Tiny laser rays shot out the exposed tip of the charm lasering the trees in its range. They were marked with tiny black spots where it hit. My eyes barely kept up with their speed of attack.
“Wow.” I was stunned by the performance.
“We’re not done. Put your ring and middle finger under the T portion and grip the end that just shot to your palm securely.”
“It’s not going to hurt me, is it?”
“Not if it’s programmed perfectly.”
“Ugh. Shoot Ralph for me if it’s not…” Luckily it was.
“Good, now jab the long end, chain and all into a tree.” I stabbed the tree closest to me. The sound was of a quickly eroding acid as the necklace sunk right into the wood. I pulled back to reveal a hole the size of my weapon. I realized in that moment just how powerful a weapon I was working with.
“Very powerful,” he commented from my thoughts.
“I’m going to start calling you Snoopy,” I frowned.
“How original,” he replied, full of sarcasm and arrogance.
“Yea, yea. What else can this baby do?”
“Unhook it and choke the tree,” he advised. He paced forward a bit. The chain sliced the trunk like butter. It creaked and rebelled before toppling forward. Kai’s move put him inches out of danger.
He showed me several more defenses with my new tool. We tried the dagger as well which Kai had Ralph again program to work only for me. It was more of a precaution than a necessity but he was insistent on “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
He trained me on a few karate style moves but didn’t overdo it. He said the weapons were far more effective than any fight style I mastered. That didn’t stop him from having Connor mock attack me multiple times from different angles and approaches. All in all it was useful but I was anxious to return to my dad. I had tried to call Kellan but he didn’t answer. I took that as a good sign, it meant he was too busy watching him to take my call or get distracted.
Chapter 24
I burst into the house seeking my dad immediately but ran into Kellan first.
“Where is he? How is he doing?” I rattled off the questions back to back.
“We need to talk,” his voice was low, controlled yet there was so much emotion behind it.
“We can, right after I check on my dad.” I brushed past him but he restrained me.
“Let her go!” Kai was in Kellan’s face, dagger in hand. The two guards Auggy left, twins named Ramon and Ramos, got in on the action as well.
“Just stop guys. Don’t punch your egos over me right now. Kellan, please let me go.”
“No,” he answered with a definitive tone. He softened knowing brute would only worsen the situation. “Lexi, please don’t go in there.”
I slowly moved to look into his eyes; there was visible pain in them. That made me only want to see him more. What happened? What did he do or what did they do to him?
I wit
hdrew my arm from his clutch and took off. I projected the thought, ”I need to see this; I need to see him.”
The holding cell wasn’t what I expected at all. It was like an underground camp. I walked into a large room with a sectional, huge flat screen and game systems galore. There was a kitchen and dining table to my right but it was all one big room. I walked over to a door with no windows on it. The entire setup reminded me of an office with the white walls and ugly carpet. I expected a pirate dungeon so I guess this was better.
There was silence all around me; it was eery. Strange because I usually loved quiet time since it’s rare.
I heard them all approach. I didn’t turn, only asked, “Where is he?” My nerves were bouncing but I managed to sound calm. A hand touched my shoulder.
“You don’t want to go in there.” It was Kalel.
I shrugged him off and clicked open the door. I immediately gasped in drowning regret. I locked eyes with my tattered clothes father. There was no recognition in his glare. It’s like he was physically there but had lost all his human memories. Pulling back I noticed his blood stained clothes.
I zoned out and studied the room’s disarray. Pillows and blankets were scattered, bits of material previously attached to shirts and pants covered the floor. The floor led my eyes over the total of twenty-three drained bodies and body parts. I scanned up the blood splattered walls and dead ended on a vomit worthy decapitated head dangling from the ceiling fan. Moments later I noticed the Mohawk entwined in the rim.
“Dad?” I called. He hissed in a protective stance over the body collapsed in his lap.
“What’s wrong with him?” I choked to everyone behind me. I was frozen in a dumbstruck observation.
“We don’t know,” Kellan replied.
“We called Dr. H,” Kalel offered.
“What happened? He… he was ok. He…” I was fighting to hold back tears at this point. Not him; not dad too.
“Let’s see what the doctor says.” Kai spoke for the first time. My dad bared his blood dripping teeth and continued to hiss, borderline growl, in our direction. I hated to say it but they were right. “I… you were right. I shouldn’t have come in here,” my words were barely above a whisper. The tears officially broke the dam my eyelids provided.