“What is his name?”
“Akad, he is the first pure vampire.” Amadeus sighed holding back an immense pain. “I’m dying. I have no time. That he is in the shadow is an advantage... hear my last words. Now you have my job. I left everything ready. Do not trust your mother. She was not my partner. Akad forced me to have her by my side to watch us ... you and me.”
“I understand.”
“Look for the woman I told you about. She can help you. Talk with Ajax he knows everything, and will help you. You’ll need his strength. You share your fathers’ blood. You’re the only one capable of destroying him. Kill him, because otherwise, he will kill you.”
“I need to know something.”
“What?”
“She wasn’t raped, right?”
“No,” After a few seconds of silence. “From what I know very few women are suitable to give him a child, but his obsession was to have a vampire child, born, not transformed. When you were born and he saw that you were normal he left her. She went mad with jealousy and rage. The rest you know.”
Caleb reached out and linked his hand with Amadeus. Caleb’s rancor disappeared. He understood Amadeus’s actions. He’d had no choice. It hadn’t been Amadeus’s life that was in danger. Caleb knew then that the one who Amadeus had always wanted to protect was the son he adopted three hundred years ago.
After a few minutes, Caleb watched his labored breathing. Amadeus was losing strength. His hands grew cold until he died with his eyes glued on him, with his beloved son as his last sight.
He felt rage for the suffering Amadeus shouldn’t have had to go through because of the follies of that bitter woman who had given birth to him. She was a liar capable of doing anything to be with that man, but her relationship had happened centuries ago. This recent situation he would not forgive. Her use of Amadeus was the straw that broke the camel’s back. He let out a breath before leaving the room and going down to the main floor. Galatea, who he had once called his mother, stood up suddenly, pale and waiting to hear what had happened.
“Get out of my house. You and all your men,” Caleb commanded.
“What are you talking about?”
“For a moment, I thought your face of consternation was due to concern, naive of me, I was wrong. Amadeus is dead and now I’m his successor. I will not play your games. You will leave the Alpha Zone and not return. This place is completely separated from Akad.” The woman gasped. She never imagined that Amadeus would tell him everything. “If you set foot on my land. I will publicly skin you.”
“You don’t have any idea of what you are doing,” Galatea yelled.
“Leave immediately, and like the bitch you are, inform your master. He no longer has power here and he never will,” Caleb told her.
“You want to go to war?”
“I’ll take whatever comes.”
“So be it!”
Offended, she walked briskly out of the house followed by her men, but not all left with her. A young teen remained in place carefully looking at Caleb.
“What do you want?” Caleb looked at him with such fury that the young teen froze.
“I was the private assistant to Amadeus, not your mother.”
“Do you think I’m going to trust you?”
“It’s what I hope. I have a letter for you. Amadeus wrote it in case he did not have time to tell you everything, but from what I can see that wasn’t the case.”
Distrustful, Caleb nodded warning him with the look that let him know that he would be watching him closely.
The news spread like wildfire. First through the city and shortly after through all of the Alpha Zone. Some vampires against this new leader left immediately to Omega Zone. Seeking the shelter Epsilon offered them. Others, however, came curious and willing. There were many vampires that were transformed by force and had not yet forgotten their human life. The suffering and hardships to which they had been subjected.
“Have the groups searching for allies left?” Caleb asked.
“Yes, I sent them in the directions you gave me, Caleb. Pein also has joined them. I sent him to the north of ancient Europe, and Russia.”
“Did they carry the letters?” Alexander confirmed this when he nodded in agreement. “Do we know anything about Amanda Weiss?”
“Nothing,” Alexander replied.
“I can help you with that,” The young man who claimed to be an assistant to Amadeus suddenly said, “Once Amadeus ordered me to take a letter to her. She lives on the outskirts of the city and has a laboratory.”
“Tell me where.”
Andre, the new boy, wanted to gain the trust of Caleb at all costs. At first, he was terribly offended by his distrust. However, he understood the reasons that pushed Caleb into distrusting him. Andre knew he had no choice but to go step by step because Amadeus had asked him to take care of Caleb. The man Amadeus considered his son. With a map on the table. He told them where the area of refuge for the mysterious woman should be. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure he remembered the exact location, but it must be very close.
“That is close to the military base,” said Alexander watching intently. “It is one of its laboratories, right?”
“It must be. When I was there twenty years ago I noticed that it was fully equipped. There were several generators feeding the computers.”
“All right, I’ll go this afternoon, by myself,” Caleb added as he saw that Alexander was about to offer to accompany him.
“You can’t go alone.”
“You must trust me. Don’t worry. Jeoff will take me, but I need you to stay here. Too many people are arriving and we need organization immediately. Besides, I know you have some ideas you want to implement.”
Alexander smiled gratefully. There were some old greenhouses that he wanted to operate again. They needed food. More than they had at hand and the only solution to the problem were the greenhouses. Of course, they wouldn’t force anyone, but would make it clear that those who wanted to eat needed to do something productive.
Caleb climbed into the car and sat in his usual seat. He got into his habitual position and began to think. Many things had happened since Meryl arrived. So many events that they seemed unreal. What most impacted his thoughts were the feelings she inspired in him. The sweet warmth that took over his heart. The days without Meryl were a horrible torture that put him in a bad mood, and he tried to imagine how Meryl was at the moment. Surely, she felt as bad as he did.
Caleb looked out the window looking at the soft white layer of snow covering all the land that he could see ... winter. It had been many years since he saw snow, and could not help imagining Meryl innocently playing with the snow. The way he missed her was painful.
“We’re about to arrive,” Jeoff said looking at the map. “It must be in this area.”
The car stopped and they both looked around. There was nothing there out of the ordinary, and if there was ever a path on the ground that would serve as a guide, the snow had covered it completely. Caleb thought for a few seconds trying to get into the heads of people who once occupied those laboratories.
“I will go into the forest,” Caleb said almost to himself. “They wanted to keep it hidden. That is the only place that could hide something from prying eyes.”
“Do you want me to accompany you?”
“Yes, but when we get there, wait for me outside.”
“I understand.”
His suspicions became a reality after almost an hour searching the forest. When he saw a small building full of overgrown weeds that caught his attention. It was highlighted by the grayness of polished stone. After reaching the door they found that it had been used often because it had no trail of ivy climbing it, unlike the rest of the building.
“It must be underground,” Jeoff thought, thus avoiding air contact.
“It’s logical. Wait
here, I don’t think there’s any danger.”
The interior was clean and undefiled, perhaps too much. There was a long dark corridor lit by security lights that only served as a guide. Caleb saw a single door at the end of the route. He started towards it with some caution. There was no noise other than the sound of his shoes slapping against the mottled marble floor and a slight dripping of liquid reached his ears from somewhere far away in the building. He opened the door to continue his journey. The light leaked out and blinded him for a few seconds. It was so white and powerful that it seemed straight out of some old science fiction movie. When he regained his vision Caleb looked at the ceiling. It was a dome that went down. Floor after floor into the depths of the earth, the light seemed excessive. The pure white color of the walls and the floor made it seem like a hospital.
Caleb did not see anyone. He decided to go downstairs looking for some other door.
Since the site was not inhabited. There was not a speck of dust on the floor. The floor was glittering with lights returning their reflections. Caleb hated that place, hated it so much.
The silence made his hair stand on end, but that wasn’t enough reason to turn back around. If Amanda Weiss was there he would find her.
Suddenly, he was absorbed in his thoughts. Since the death of Amadeus Caleb had not been able to sit down to process all the new information. There were so thoughts and so much hatred that filled him for a moment he felt like he was going crazy. His real father was the only pure vampire, born with a foreign gene that had prevented him from being born human. Caleb wanted to believe that science could explain more. There had to be a reason for Amadeus sending him to find Amanda.
He heard something. A sound that only a vampire could perceive. It was the soft footsteps of a person not far away.
On the next floor, he thought, boasting of his powerful gifts.
He started down the stairs without losing his way, seeking the right path, after few minutes and after turning a few times he found himself in a hallway with three doors. He tried them in order, to see if any were open, but had no luck so he went to the last one, which should be the right one.
On the other side, there were half a dozen people, all vampires. Several pairs of eyes turned to look at him. He could sense the surprise and sudden fear that filled them. Caleb knew then that they were not accustomed to visits. The only person who did not move was a woman sitting at a table full of computers, with light colored and rather short hair. She didn’t even seem to realize that she had a visitor; Caleb had the feeling that it was the same woman he was looking for.
“Amanda Weiss?” he asked.
“I hope you have a good reason for breaking into this place.”
The voice did not tremble, but it was not what amazed him, no. Caleb had heard that voice before and now it was slightly changed. Before he could answer Caleb heard the soft squeak of the chair and saw with astonishment the look of hardness in the woman’s eyes. They were tinged red and she was scowling angrily.
Caleb rarely marveled at things at his advanced age, but he hadn’t expected this at all. Although, she was a little older and her hair color had changed. The face was exactly the same as that of the girl who had documented her suspicions on the videos found by Jeoff at the military base. A wave of confusion swept over him completely as he looked at the woman who was now a vampire.
“Who told you about me?” she asked without beating around the bush.
“Amadeus,” Caleb said. She frowned at him with some confusion. “He died,” Caleb added, surprising her even more.
“That’s unexpected,” she murmured while looking at the floor. “But if he spoke to you about me before he died. I imagine that you are Caleb, right?” Caleb nodded. “That changes the situation. Don’t get me wrong, but there are certain people who would like to see me beheaded. Well, what do you know?”
“Before that, I have to ask you something. Are you the woman who left some recordings on the military base near this area?” Caleb asked, and she opened her eyes wide.
“I thought that those files had been destroyed. Whoops!” She laughed. “You’re a curious fellow. You know more than I imagined. Did you find something useful in that pigsty?”
“No, but I met someone by chance during a slave auction. Can you guess who?”
She looked thoughtful. Caleb sensed a certain fear on her face.
“I hope it is not, Zero ...”
“I mean Meryl. Although…”
“She is alive?” Amanda shouted, standing up from the chair and interrupting Caleb before he could continue talking. “Where is she?”
“With Epsilon.”
“Curses! Why have you not protected her?”
Caleb raised an eyebrow thoroughly annoyed, wondering who the hell she was to reproach him. He was quite sorry that he hadn’t killed all of Epsilon’s men. If he had Meryl could have stayed by his side.
“Okay, sorry,” Amanda quickly apologized. She walked forward gingerly rubbing her forehead. “I see that she is someone important to you. I shouldn’t have acted like that, but she is the basis of my research. I have worked with samples of her blood, but it was not enough.”
“She’s not something you experiment on.” Caleb was offended on Meryl’s behalf and looked at Amanda with a little bitterness in his eyes.
“Don’t be angry, but with her DNA I might be able to create the virus.”
“I could care less about that. Anyway, stuck inside here I don’t think you’re aware of the latest developments,” Caleb explained.
With a cup of coffee in hand and surrounded by her six laboratory assistants Amanda began to hear Caleb’s story. Spellbound from the moment he encountered for the first time that poor frightened girl. Amanda seemed amused by the story, and it was no wonder, she perceived Caleb’s feelings. Although, he avoided expressing them.
Her face changed when he reached a certain point in the story.
“It has to be a joke. That Axel is Zero,” Amanda said.
“What is special about him? Except that he was a failed experiment of the alchemists?”
“Zero changed, evolved and began to turn mortals.”
“And Akad?”
“He was never interested in converting humans. His longing was to have children like him, born vampires. Good heavens, he is thousands of years old. Do you know how much offspring he has left behind in the world? But they were all normal, without any ability,” she began to remember everything she had discovered in the lab. “Then, a direct descendant was born with special blood.”
“Agatha?”
“Yes. She had an extraordinary ability to regenerate, the same as vampires, you know what that means?” Amanda asked, and Caleb shook his head in confusion. “That she was close to a pure vampire, because she was born with a mixed DNA. Upon hearing this, the alchemists wanted to investigate,” she continued, “I cannot imagine the atrocities they committed against her, but I’m sure that they made a huge blood transfusion to her brother or someone.”
“And from there arose Zero.”
“Yes. He was not pure, but was terribly strong, and as I have said, evolved to be able to convert other humans,” Amanda explained.
“What happened to Agatha?”
“She managed to escape. Though I suspect it was the work of Akad. Apparently, she married and had children.”
“There was a jump in the genetic chain to Meryl,” Caleb said, beginning to understand that entire complicated story.
“Smart boy. Meryl was born with a similar DNA. The perfect DNA to create new vampires. It’s almost as pure as Akad’s. They injected her blood mixed with Zeroes into George, who shared a small DNA chain with her. I guess I don’t have to explain what happened. You’ve seen it.”
Caleb thought for a few seconds, everything was connected that it seemed like something out of a book, but he still di
d not know what Akad really wanted. It was clear that his eagerness was to have a pure vampire child, and this led him to think of one thing ... that he would use Meryl to get it.
He stood suddenly upon just imagining what would happen.
“Meryl. She could beget a vampire child?”
“Yes. Listen, Caleb, she makes the difference. She is able to create a brood of vampire’s even stronger than Akad, but she can also give me the formula to beat him. Not only him but everyone.”
“I’ll never let him put a hand on her.”
“If Amadeus did not lie to me, you’re one of the last children born sharing his different DNA. Although you were born human you had some different properties. Perhaps we can save Meryl, but you know what will happen, right?”
“War.”
“We’re going to need lots of help.”
“I am working on it.”
Amanda smiled in surprise. She realized that Caleb was always one step ahead of everyone. That he was a smart man, and she gave thanks to God for having him on their side.
Things began to move. The factions began to form. The smell of blood filled the air and the feeling of battle had seized those who knew the events that loomed over the entire planet.
It had been two weeks and the entire city bustled with life. Alexander had created a market giving work to all who sought it, and organized the rebels perfectly, things were starting to work. Vampires arrived that had received Caleb’s notes. Vampires that he’d met on his travels and he knew had the same ideals. People were surprised by the amount of vampires who were against that era. They were vampires that had lived for centuries. That was an advantage because they were strong, old and wanted to change the world again. They longed for things. Before they’d had to live completely hidden, but there were so many distractions and entertainments that it hadn’t mattered in the least to them. However, after defeating the humans they lost everything. Some of them had even made some mortal friends who were killed cruelly, and they did not agree with the lifestyle the humans had to endure.
Melodies of Blood I Page 19