“Okay.”
After a couple of minutes, they reached a huge room. The music and shouting did not let them hear anything more than an incomprehensible noise.
There were dirty people everywhere and in some areas like grandstands, Meryl saw some people who seemed to be vampire leaders. In the center of a ring two bloody young men fought. She looked away from that horrible sight. Watching two starving people killing each other for food was something Meryl never imagined getting to see, and they were a few meters away from her. She felt powerless.
“We’ll look around and then we’ll go. I have to see everything to know what we’re dealing with,” Alexander nearly shouted in her ear.
Alexander tried to take as little time as possible. This was not an appropriate place for Meryl. It was too soon to show her everything of this world. They circled around the room, bumping into people that screamed and shouted for more blood. Meryl thought those humans stupid. It didn’t occur to them, that it may be them fighting in the ring tomorrow, instead of encouraging the fight.
“Do you share?” Suddenly a stranger asked from the special area where the head of the vampires looked on their small kingdom.
“Get lost,” Alexander said without even looking at him.
“Who do you think you are?”
Alexander looked at him with hard eyes. His change in demeanor surprised Meryl as he always had a smile and a look of peace on his face. Now she looked at him as if he were another person, a person that scared her. A well-dressed man walked near them laughing. He wasn’t young or beautiful but his red eyes gave away his true nature. He raised his hand and the music stopped causing total silence. A silence interrupted by demands hoarse voice.
“I have never seen you here before. Are you new?” The man asked Alexander curiously.
“Maybe,” Alexander responded. “Is that a problem?”
“Maybe. I don’t like anyone treating my customers badly.” The man laughed. “But if you have a problem with him. You can resolve it by fighting.”
“No.”
“A coward!” He shouted attracting everyone’s stares.
The man snapped his fingers and before Alexander could move a strange man stood behind Meryl, placing a hand over her shoulder in a threatening manner.
“And if you fight for the young woman?” The man asked amused and a malignant look crossed over his face as he stared at Meryl.
“If you touch her you’ll be dead before you can blink,” Alexander warned him.
Alexander’s assurance overwhelmed Meryl who looked on nervously at the situation, and a sinister smile filled Alexander’s face as he removed the jacket that he then held out to her. Alexander put on some leather gloves similar to the ones that Caleb always carried in his back pocket.
“If you want a fight you will get one, chose my opponent well,” Alexander said.
The other vampire licked his lips anticipating victory and made a signal with his hands while he looked at Alexander.
“That’s even better young man. Pein!”
A young man with blond hair jumped from somewhere high above their heads. He was dressed cheaply and had a cold stare. He wore a chain around his neck that allowed them to see the position he currently held. He had to obey or die. Meryl turned to look at Alexander and saw that he was paler than she had ever seen before and he stood as still as a statue.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you, Alex,” The blond man said.
“What are you doing here Pein? Are you…” Alexander asked.
“A vampire slave? Yes.”
“I see that you know each other. That will make it more interesting. Pein if you kill him you may keep the human. It’s been some time since you’ve had something to eat.”
They walked towards the ring as the others shouted excitedly. Alexander clenched and unclenched his hands. He had a serious look on his face. Determined.
There was no referee. The only rule was to fight with your fists and kill the loser. Pein soon took the first step jumping towards Alexander. Who waited until the last moment to step aside and hit him in the back throwing him flat to the floor, which was full of dried red spots.
“You’ll never stop being so impatient,” Alexander shouted returning to his initial position. “It is surprising that you have not been killed yet!”
“No thanks to you, you fucking bastard,” Pein responded returning to pounce on his opponent without thinking about his movements. “You left me with Epsilon!”
Alexander dodged the kick by a few inches and backed a few steps away from Pein without looking. Meryl tried to analyze his expression. He was thinking, not on his next move, but on his next answer.
“Look at yourself!” The blonde man blurted out. “You’re a high-class vampire!”
“You have no idea,” Alexander muttered frowning and punched him throwing the young man against the elastic ropes surrounding the ring.
The crowd started screaming excited about the fight, but Alexander got out of the ring breaking the rule, the only great rule. Kill the loser.
Alexander got close to Meryl reaching for his jacket and looked at the owner of the place. Alexander could clearly see he was angry due to his attitude. Alexander took a type of cell phone that surprised Meryl. It was the first technological device that she had seen since she woke. Without waiting a moment Alexander moved his fingers sending a message to someone.
“Finish it or you will be the one who pays,” said the cold red-eyed man.
“I will not kill my brother,” Alexander said irritated at the man.
Meryl was shocked at Alexander’s declaration. She would have never thought that they were brothers. Just looking at them it was impossible to tell that they were related in any way. One was as pale as the dead with black hair and the other glowed with tan skin and golden hair.
The owner of the place rose out of his ostentatious chair preparing himself and his men to attack when suddenly a group of people interrupted them causing the public to scream. They were dressed in uniforms and on their backs they had the logo for the A.S.P or the Alpha Special Police.
Alexander quickly grabbed Meryl and pushed her behind him while his brother looked on with disinterest. It was total chaos. Everyone was fighting, vampires, humans, and the police. Meryl saw someone tossed right above her head so quickly they couldn’t even scream. There came a time when Alexander had no option but to fight. When they were attacked as well and everyone was fighting each other.
“Listen to me,” Alexander shouted grabbing his brother’s shirt. “Protect her.”
“Why should I?” Pein asked. “She’s nothing to me.”
“Because with her help I’m going to save your life and take you with me,” Alexander explained.
Pein frowned unable to believe his brother’s words. He stood next to Meryl without saying a word while Alexander ran through the multitude of people. It was turning ugly and the ones who were losing were the humans who worked in that place and who were nothing more than dolls devoured by furious tigers. That was one of the major defects of the vampires. The uncontrollable fury that made them lose all reason. It was the beast that slept within them and awakened their thirst for blood.
Meryl stood against the wall looking for Alexander. She was worried that something had happened to him, but the only thing she saw were people fighting each other and blood. Suddenly her heart accelerated when she recognized someone’s head among the crowd walking towards her slowly. The person lashed out at the people who tried to fight with him without even looking. That hair, that way of walking, it was Caleb.
“Are you well?” Caleb asked looking first towards Pein with distrust.
“Yes, but I don’t know where Alexander is,” Meryl said.
“Don’t worry about him,” Caleb said, “He knows how to take care of himself, but we have to get you out of he
re. If people keep fighting. The orders are to burn the building and they won’t care who is inside.”
The scene was being observed by someone with bad intentions. Far above, near the roof and standing on the metal walkway, Edel observed Caleb. Caleb was the being Edel most hated. He smiled looking as Caleb held the insignificant human girl while his eyes searched for Alexander, the ancient slave of his master Epsilon. Pein didn’t interest him. They had sold him long ago. Although, it did surprise Edel that Pein was alive and was a low-class vampire. Finally, it seemed like things were going to get interesting. With his position at Omega Zone, the same as Alexander’s in Alpha Zone Edel didn’t have any room to act. He couldn’t attack Caleb because he held the same position and class as him. If he did it would be seen as an act of war between two of the most powerful territories on the planet.
They managed to leave although they were obligated to throw a few punches when a couple of people blocked their way. A few minutes later Alexander reached them near the car that Jeoff had waiting with the motor running. Everyone climbed inside and Meryl took a deep calming breath because nothing serious had happened. Every time she thought about it Meryl realized everything she saw seemed more horrible. How could anyone survive in such a cruel world? If she had been born here she would have surely been used to this type of life, but everything was so horrible that she felt lost.
While they traveled to the mansion Meryl tried to order her thoughts and looked frequently to her right, where Caleb was seated, in the same seat that he had occupied when he first brought her to the mansion.
Something had become clear to Meryl after having witnessed all the chaos. Humans were at the bottom. They were even lower than animals that were more productive and less problematic.
As soon as they entered through the door, Alexander kneeled on the floor with his fists on the marble floor and his head lowered in a supplicating manner.
“What’s wrong with you?” Caleb asked turning around to look at Alexander.
“I need a favor.” Caleb remained silent waiting for Alexander to continue talking. “Please let my brother stay here? He helped me to protect Meryl.”
“Get up idiot.” Caleb turned around and began to walk towards the stairs. “If I didn’t want him to come with us I wouldn’t have allowed him to get in the car with us. Prepare dinner for Meryl and get your brother something to eat. There is some blood in the wine cellar.”
Meryl looked at Alexander completely shocked with the image before her. She could see how tears ran down his face. He looked down quickly, but not before Meryl saw how he smiled with his eyes closed. He was so happy he couldn’t contain himself.
“This doesn’t mean I forgive you because you left me there,” Pein said.
“Pein, really?” Meryl asked. “Before coming to your own conclusions please listen to your brother,” Meryl said knowing that there had to be a reason for everything.
Pein crossed his arms and had an angry face, but Meryl saw that beneath his harsh gaze his eyes shined with great happiness.
“You should take a shower,” Meryl said helping Alexander to stand up. “And afterward, we’ll eat together.” Those words almost made her feel as if she were at home. Meryl remembered those rainy days when she arrived home after working at the store and found her mother and brother seated at the table smiling while they waited for her so they could all eat together.
That same night, after Pein was installed in a room next to his brother. They all gathered in the main living room. The fire crackled and warmed the room. Caleb took his usual seat in an overstuffed red chair. Drinking some wine Caleb seemed more thoughtful than usual. Alexander and Pein had joined Meryl at the table after she almost begged for their company.
“Eating together is nice. But if I’m honest, what you feed on gives me the creeps,” Meryl said.
“So what my brother told me is true?” Pein asked.
“Yes, I suppose he told you everything,” Meryl replied sadly.
“That’s harsh,” Pein confessed crossing his arms and closing his eyes thoughtfully. “You’re totally screwed.”
A knock echoed through the room scaring Meryl, who dropped the fork. It made an uncomfortable sound. Alexander had his closed fist on the wooden table, but his expression seemed to indicate that he was calm, as if he had not heard anything.
“Speak well,” Alexander said, “Meryl is a lady.”
“She’s a slave. Just like me.” Pein flinched a little annoyed.
“Listen,” Alexander smiled sincerely. “Here we are not slaves, we are partners. But we do owe respect to Caleb.”
“I wanted to say something about that,” whispered Meryl attracting the attention of the three vampires. “I thought that after what you paid for me. Maybe I can help in any task. I’m a good worker.”
“No.”
“But Alexander, listen,” Meryl begged. “You take care of me, try and help me to get used to this world and you protect me. The least I can do is help a little. I don’t know, there has to be something that I can do. If I have to spend all day sitting in my room, I’ll go crazy.
“Sounds good,” Caleb said, “If you want, you can help Alexander.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
After dinner, Meryl wearily climbed to the top floor where her room was located. She was starting to feel comfortable. Though she still felt some pressure around her heart because at the end of the day she was not home.
She thought about Caleb before going to sleep. He was so cold and seemed the perfect villain from a movie, but he always did the right thing and showed up when they were in danger. He was handsome; she couldn’t deny it, though nothing like the famous actors and singers to which she was accustomed. He almost seemed unreal, like one of those dreams in which everything is so perfect that it overwhelms you, but Meryl was not a girl who judged others by physical looks. She had learned that lesson as a teenager during high school. Yes, she admitted that she liked the most popular kid: blonde, tall, green-eyed, and athletic. Until she realized that he was a horrible guy who had used girls by taking advantage of his physical appeal and popularity. Since that day she made a promise to herself. Not to judge others with her eyes.
Due to her personal situation, she had trouble maintaining a relationship. The only one she’d had was with her best friend, Josh. The boy had been in love with her since childhood. They began as boyfriend and girlfriend but then everything changed. He was jealous, sullen and she could not say anything. They only lasted one week in which they didn’t even kiss.
Meryl let herself fall into bed after putting on a wide shirt that Alexander had given her to sleep in. She thought of a thousand things at once. Everything was as strange as the first day, but she could not deny that she felt safer inside these walls. She should be grateful because she could still remember the faces of the people who wanted to buy her. If it were not for Caleb she would be dead or in conditions that it was better not to imagine. Meryl sighed and turned. She was overheated and got up to open the window. It was a little cold, but the night air was comforting, something caught her eye and she saw a figure very close to the house. The lights barely lit the area because electricity was one of the greatest luxuries these days.
“Could it be a friend of Caleb’s?” Meryl asked herself aloud when she saw the figure move and point in her direction.
Her body warned her that something was not quite right and she didn’t understand. Her instincts warned her that she was not safe. Meryl did not know who he was and was sure she hadn’t seen him before, but he was pointing at her. A few seconds later she saw a shadow pass in front of the window and land on the small roof beneath and when he stood she recognized the figure.
“Caleb?”
He said nothing, he did not move. The stranger disappeared as if he were a ghost in the night fog that covered everything around.
“Be careful.”
/>
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know,” he replied coming through the window. “But no one invited him.”
Once inside the room, illuminated by candles and fire, Caleb looked at the room and noticed the decor was as he left it.
“We should look at the clothes in the closet,” he said, “There will be things that aren’t your size or that you won’t like.”
“I ... I can fix them.”
He gestured with his head in a positive way. Letting her know with a nod that she could do what she wanted with the garments. He took a few seconds before speaking to her, thinking of what to say.
“Are you getting used to everything?”
“It’s complicated, but I think I can slowly get used to things,” she smiled shyly. “Thanks for everything.”
He felt uncomfortable, her sincere smile was so innocent it caused a painful twinge. People used to smile for convenience, both human and vampire, Caleb had lost the habit. He couldn’t remember the last time he a smiled. Or the last time he smiled with feeling for someone. He knew that kids were sincere, not expecting anything in return, but an adult was another matter, and for a split second he was confused about the girl in front of him. He didn’t think too much about women as they were problematic, but he felt differently for her. She enchanted him and he had to protect her. It was because part of himself was reflected in Meryl. The broken child he’d once been appeared blurred in her large green eyes.
Anyway, now she was his. Not quite yet, but someday.
She was nervous with his attitude. He was so far way and so near at the same time. It was because Caleb was a vampire. She had never met anyone like him, a being so peculiar. He seemed so confident, so gentlemanly and her feelings were confused. Did she like him? Because he was handsome? Because he was distant, different?
Caleb left her deep in thought. She was almost angry with herself for being so superficial. Meryl felt she was breaking the promise she had made to herself to never to focus on the outside of a person.
Melodies of Blood I Page 5