Melodies of Blood
Book One
By
Maialen Alonso
Translated by Annie J. Garza
Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents, either they are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. All characters depicted in this work of fiction are eighteen years old or older.
Melodies of Blood
Written By Maialen Alonso
http://maialenalonso.es/
Copyright © 2016 Maialen Alonso
Cover Design © 2016 Maialen Alonso
Translated by Annie J. Garza
Illustrated by: Kike Alapont & Davic Méndez
All rights reserved
Distributed by Babelcube, Inc.
www.babelcube.com
“Babelcube Books” and “Babelcube”
are trademarks of Babelcube Inc.
Melody no. 0
Prologue
New Zealand’s military laboratory of scientific investigations was full of machines that were the latest in technology. These machines or devices would be the envy of any scientist of the period. Many of the gathered inventions could view or modify things that were not known to exist to the majority of the civilians. The worldwide population was ignorant of what was actually happening in the world. It was such an important event that had it been made public it would have been written down in the annals of history, but that would have only happened if they had managed to discover what was now known before the apocalypse.
A group of diverse scientists worked twenty-four hours a day inside of a circular room. The walls were giant computer screens and they were watched constantly by the secret police and the military. In the middle of the room was a type of rectangular box that was monitored. At first glance, a person could see that the experiment had to do with that mysterious box. One of the primary scientists on the team checked the latest results. Mark Collins was in charge of everything. He seemed restless, perhaps even nervous. Something was not going according to plan. He wiped the sweat off his face restlessly and adjusted the white lab coat that had become unbuttoned.
“Check it again,” Dr. Collins ordered one of his assistants while looking over his shoulder and intimidating the student with his presence. “Check it as many times as needed. These results are completely unacceptable. There has to be something more.”
“But sir, we’ve checked it more than seven times and the results are the same,” The nervous young man confessed.
Hearing this confession, Mark Collins began to pace the length of the room. His steps echoing on the gray marble that reflected his image. His usually slicked-back hair was unmanageable due to sweat and his pale tense hands couldn’t re-button his lab coat. His blue eyes were red and tense. The initial members of the group noticed at that moment how much his obsession with accomplishing his goals had aged him and was robbing him of his youth. He was a man that had earned a doctorate and been promoted at a young age. His future should have been bright, but after he had been contacted by the military and was shown the truth that no one else knew. Mark Collins had become obsessed with saving humanity and now these were the results.
His unease was caused by several reasons. The one that he feared the most was that he had to present himself before the Council of Nations immediately. A council where Europe and the United States in conjunction with Russia and China participated in an unimaginable union to those who knew their history before the apocalypse, but circumstances had forced their cooperation. Mark knew that several countries had approved arming their militaries in case they were needed. The project that he worked on with such fervor could be the key to resolving the situation without an atomic war. However, the results were insufficient and unsatisfactory. It was obvious that they would never allow his project to continue, but he was wrong.
“Sir, they are ready for you,” A soldier walking through the door without announcing himself told him. They all did the same thing. They never warned anyone when they were coming into the room. The people didn’t seem to be aware that startling the scientist’s might have an effect on any of the volatile materials that were scattered throughout the laboratory. “They are waiting for you in the meeting room.”
Mark cursed time for going against him and every living person while he walked behind the soldier. He was flanked by two other soldiers and followed by a fourth soldier. In moments like this, he felt like a criminal going to the gallows.
They walked through a corridor with one austere decoration and devoid of unnecessary things. With walls of reinforced concrete and coded inscriptions identifying a military base. He reached the door to the room where he would find representatives of all of the countries involved in this process.
He opened the door thanking God that it was only holograms and not real people. Like how they used to meet a long time ago because deep down he had always been a coward.
He saw the platform in the center of the room, a few meters from him, and walked slowly toward it while watching the tables crowded with holographic images, with a realism that was as sharp as his own reflection in the mirror.
It was a huge room full of tables with metal plaques in front indicating each country and each representative.
Before speaking, Mark prepared his notes and adjusted the microphone close to him to prevent interference. He did all this in the vain hope of calming down before he had to speak. What he had to tell them wasn’t good. He ran a hand through his hair and then stood up straight trying to project a confidence that he didn’t have.
“After last month’s test results we have searched the worldwide genetics database. The results have been completely unexpected.” Mark saw the majority of the representative’s frown. It was clear that they hadn’t expected such a complete failure and didn’t like receiving the news. “Only four people from the same family are suitable for the project. Of which three have been ruled out: one due to his advanced age, another due to pregnancy and the third is much too young.”
“And the fourth?” A voice rose from one of the back rows. The voice seemed interested but also relieved because the news was not as bad as they had thought.
“The fourth is a young woman, a simple shop assistant,” he murmured, disinterested and with a bit of contempt. He’d never consider putting a young woman at such risk for a project that seemed doomed to failure.
“If she is the only suitable person we will have to be satisfied,” The representative from France responded serenely and shrugged.
Professor Collins observed those present with amazement and contempt. The majority of the council members nodded in agreement and he only thought about the imbeciles who could end up running the world. His great cryogenics project was going to end up in the hands of a young girl who was barely twenty years old. That was something his exceptional mind couldn’t accept. Someone who didn’t have a university degree couldn’t possibly comprehend the value of his work. A young woman who worked in a dismal bookstore in a bad neighborhood couldn’t understand. The only reason he didn’t complain or tried to impose his will was so simple that it terrified him. They could make him disappear completely from the project and they would use the information he had accumulated during his research. If the project had to continue with or without him. Then it would continue with him until the end.
“We will vote as stipulated in the reaction protocol that is compiled in the United Nations Report and the Royal Decree of Human Rights reviewed after the disaster of 2020.”
Mark also feared that all of those bureaucrats were in agreement with the ideas, but
he also knew they were putting a price on their heads. Deciding without consulting the real world leaders, which is why the doctor was not surprised to see their apparent hesitation.
It was evident at first glance that these men thought of themselves first. Nevertheless, they were also taking risks for the common good.
“I’ll take care of getting everything ready. In about ten days I will submit a final report with the new data collected and wait for the verdict of the council,” Mark suggested pretending to ignore that his answer was positive, while any possibilities small though they were, his answer would be the same.
He turned and left without looking back as the men talked about him stabbing him in the back with their words. All of his life he had worked in cryonics: to freeze a body for decades, for an eternity, waiting for the emergence of a cure for an illness or simply to achieve eternal life. However, all his dreams and illusions were shattered at the same time that he had discovered that a new species of beings threatened life and peace on earth, and their name was vampires.
They didn’t know the purpose of the massive appearance of the vampires, but their attacks had been increasing in the last decade, and they had victims worldwide. Any attempt to establish a truce with the race had been systematically rejected. Vampires would not negotiate. They wanted to reign over mortals, and for mortals, there was no hope. They had tried everything to purge the vampire’s dangerous existence without success. The bullets passed through them without killing them and their regeneration capacity was amazing. Their strength had no equivalent in the animal kingdom.
The moment that they realized a war was looming in which humans were likely to lose. The council had been established in the strictest secrecy. Their mission was simple, find a solution.
Then there was Mark, with his scientific studies and doctoral thesis, who they had watched for more than two decades. The military could not fend off the beasts without destroying humanity. Their only effective weapon would kill every living thing on the face of the earth so their last hope was placed on a half-mad scientist, who was obsessed with his research. The most impressive research that had ever existed, the project of a lifetime, was now in the hands of a poor girl who’d never imagined the future that awaited her.
A few kilometers from the laboratory, in the center of Auckland, New Zealand, lived a young girl named Meryl. At first glance, you could perceive her peaceful and calm demeanor. She wasn’t confident in herself and was mostly concerned with taking care of her mother and younger brother. Her father was an alcoholic with no possibility of rehabilitation who had abandoned them never to return, leaving his two children and wife, and although that was a breath of fresh air. It was disastrous economically. Desperate, Meryl found a job in an old bookstore owned by her elderly neighbor. She had no choice but to deal with everything at a young age. This was not a problem in her opinion because she loved her family. However, Meryl could not imagine the disaster that was about to befall not only her but also all of humanity.
The day was cloudy and as usual humid. She had not slept well that night. The nightmares had been ongoing and she couldn’t rest for more than two hours.
“Dear, will you pick up George today?”
“Yes, of course, mom,” she said smiling, Meryl was happy to relieve some of her mother’s burden. “Will you be late?”
“I have a double shift at the hospital this month.”
“I see.”
She went to work thoughtfully. There were months in which the debts of her father made her feel like she was drowning, and the home mortgage was the first thing she had to pay. Meryl couldn’t risk her family ending up on the street. Meryl and her mother were trying to get ahead, but taking double shifts as a nurse was taking a toll on the health of a mother who Meryl loved deeply. There was also George, who was only fourteen, but was a growing young boy. He understood the situation and asked for nothing. Yet, both of them tried to give him all they could.
The morning was quiet. There were very little customers in the small bookstore that was half hidden in a desolate neighborhood affected by the new economic crisis. The absence of movement produced a peace that she appreciated deeply. Meryl had a lot to think about, such as getting a second job, because if things stayed the same her mother and brother were going to end up badly. The jingle of the doorbell suddenly jolted her from her reverie.
“Meryl Smith?” A uniformed man who had just stepped inside the store asked.
Thinking it was another creditor to whom they owed money she began to turn pale and was flustered. Then answered with a shy nod.
“What do you want?” she said after a moment, her voice trembling slightly.
“You need to come with me, miss.”
“Where? Look, if it’s about money...”
“It’s not about that.” Another man entered the shop and joined the conversation. “We want you to go with us. If you obey without question it will be beneficial for you and your family.”
“I can’t just go with two strangers,” she replied, arching an eyebrow. Meryl was obviously scared.
“We have orders to take you. It’s your choice how we do it.”
Feeling threatened by the two rough-looking large men. She rose from the old chair while looking at them, grabbed her purse and clutched the keys to the store in an ineffective attempt to appear calm. If the new debt had appeared magically. She would take care of everything without telling her mother. She didn’t want her to worry.
Melody no.1
Apocalypse
Before Meryl could say anything, she was inside a black van with tinted windows and the men were seated on each side of her. Nervous and unable to flee she felt small in her seat, unable to move or act freely.
“What is happening?” she asked with a slight tremor in her voice after a long silence.
“We are not authorized to reveal anything, Miss. But someone will explain everything when we get there.”
“Where are we going?”
“There,” he said. The man raised his hand pointing with a finger.
They were far from the city and in the distance, she could see a huge complex of buildings that she like other civilians, had never seen, but they were enormous. The military base. This site and all its surroundings were restricted for any purpose beyond the projects that were carried out in the main area. These twenty minutes were the longest trip of her entire life.
The car stopped in front of one of the largest buildings after stopping at several checkpoints. Everyone who knew the reason for her being there looked at her strangely, with a mixture of anxiety and compassion.
“Come on,” said one of the men who opened the door. His feigned good manners were disconcerting.
Meryl left the car and saw a squad of uniformed young cadets in small groups running from side to side of the main courtyard. The main building was huge. She had never seen it because not even reporters were allowed to enter the vicinity of the base. Once again, she began to get nervous wondering what she was doing in a place like this, but also grateful that it was not about any debt related to a mobster.
“Wait here a minute. Someone will tell you everything,” The soldier left her alone in the waiting room.
“Ok.”
This room was huge and the walls were painted white. In the center where she was sitting, there was a long table full of black padded chairs, actually more than a waiting room it felt like a meeting room abandoned by lack of advanced technology and its remote location.
A few minutes later, the door opened and Mark Collins came through it unable to hold back a grimace of disgust at the sight of the girl. Her black hair was flawless, but her nerves were uneasy, at least for the moment she managed to keep her composure.
He left a document on the table and fixed the round glasses that lent him an intellectual air and sat down. He wanted to appear intimidating to the young girl. Just
thinking that the fate of the world depended on this small stupid woman made him sick.
“I will not beat about the bush,” he started speaking after having made the decision to stop Meryl before she could articulate some of the questions that she had. “We will offer you a deal. We need you to collaborate in an experiment that will not cause any kind of damage to your body, either physical or mental. He took a breath and continued, still not giving Meryl the opportunity to interrupt. “In exchange for you accepting, you’ll never have another single economic problem.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I see,” Mark sighed. “I’ll explain in a way that someone with your intellectual capacity can understand. We’re doing a study. You just have to be asleep in front of a camera for a week, in exchange for that, we will pay the debts of your family and you can live without working anymore for the rest of your interesting existence.”
“Only sleep in front of a camera? I’ll get paid for that?” she asked bewildered and confused by too much information.
Professor Collins snorted to himself frustrated at how slow she was taking to understand. He clearly explained it to her so it had been unnecessary for her to ask questions. He armed himself with all the patience that he could muster and continued.
“That’s right! If you’re ready here’s the contract. Take all the time you need to read it,” he finished with a fake smile, pointing to the folder with his finger.
He put the document in front of her and left the place feeling sick and cranky. Meryl looked repeatedly at the door and the contract alternately and couldn’t believe her luck, but it smelled fishy, so much money for something so simple was strange.
However, she read it and re-read it several times. Everything seemed in order and it would save their lives.
Meryl grabbed the pen tightly, her hands trembled slightly, it was inevitable that she was afraid when she didn’t know what to expect. Still, she signed all the papers and left them on the table looking at them with apprehension. It was done and there was no turning back.
Melodies of Blood I Page 1