“So I was supposed to die when Jen did? And the vampires knew this? Why did they risk it then?” Mark asked.
“Well, you’re special and Jen was to hurt me. I guess Sariel felt like gambling. If you had died too, no one would get you, if you didn’t, he planned to turn you into a vampire. Either way, he would win. I just got to you before he could finish,” Sarah said with enthusiasm.
“Geez, this just keeps getting worse and worse. So Katie is a Nephilim?” Mark asked, secretly knowing the answer.
“Yes, but let’s just let her have a normal life as long as we can. After all this she deserves it.” Sarah’s voice turned more somber as she spoke of Katie.
“Yes, I agree. I can live with her hating me, if she is safe. Someday, maybe she will find out the truth, but for now she’s safe.” Mark looked depressed again.
Sarah put her hands on either side of Mark’s face.
“You know I care about you a lot. If you need anything, a shoulder to cry on, anything just let me know. I’m here for you. Anything.” Sarah’s expression was sincere and longing.
Mark’s heart raced. He wanted to pick Sarah up and kiss her. Mark pushed the feelings down and tried to respond calmly. “I care about you too Sarah, thanks,” Mark said trying to hide his feelings.
Sarah quickly realized she had shared too much.
“I mean you are very important to this war, any of us would be willing to help you.” Sarah quickly recovered and started to walk on.
“Did you ever find your one?” Mark asked as he tried to keep up with Sarah’s new hurried pace.
Sarah dreaded this question, but secretly, she hoped Mark would ask.
“A lot of times our kind go their whole existence without ever finding the one they were meant to be with. Maybe they died or haven’t been born yet, who knows. The only thing worse than never finding your one is if you find your one and they love someone else. We only get one.” Sarah paused as her pace slowed. This was clearly a sore subject. “Sometimes I think it’s a punishment for all the bad things I’ve done. Or maybe God just made a mistake with me.” Sarah was now the one looking depressed.
“So you found him…or her,” Mark added quickly. He had forgotten who he was talking to for a minute, it might be a her.
“It was a him,” Sarah replied.
“Ok, so you found him and he was already married?” Mark asked, not realizing how serious this was.
“Yes, so it’s just me for all eternity.” Sarah looked down at her shoes again as she walked. This subject was very painful to her.
“Can’t you just find someone else? Or maybe he’ll change his mind. Maybe he is the one who made a mistake?” Mark asked honestly, but he just didn’t understand how much this hurt Sarah.
“What part of one is confusing to you?!” Sarah asked angrily as she stopped to look at Mark. Sarah’s anger quickly turned to guilt. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. But seriously we get one and only one, there’s no loop holes, no do overs. We get one.” Sarah started walking again.
Mark didn’t completely understand Sarah’s situation but he understood enough to pity her. How horrible it would be to go through life knowing that your perfect match was with someone else. If they truly were stuck with only one, his perfect match was now dead. His feelings for Sarah, whatever they were, had to be a mistake because Jen had been his one.
The rest of the trip was spent in silence. Mark was dealing with his grief and confusion about his feelings for Sarah. Sarah was mentally punishing herself for disappointing God.
Chapter 10
They reached the edge of town after another hour of walking. The crowds had thinned out as they walked until there was no one left except for Mark and Sarah. They walked through many suburban areas until even those gave way to run down shops and factories. After it seemed they were all alone with the abandoned shops, they came across a shipping facility with many newer cars in the parking lot.
“Here we are,” Sarah finally spoke. Sarah now sounded as depressed as Mark. Normally she would have presented this place with the flare of a game show host, but now she just sounded like she wanted to get it over with.
“Why all the cars? This place can’t have that many employees?” Mark asked curiously.
“These cars belong to customers,” Sarah said strangely. “We use this place as a cover to get to where we are going. They are not about to follow ten trucks, all going in different directions. They would have to split up their forces too much. It’s not foolproof but it is discouraging enough to keep them at bay.”
“So this is also a real shipping company?” Mark asked sincerely.
“Yes, it ships paper products. It’s sort of a hub. Huge stock piles come in and then they are split up and shipped out to various places,” Sarah explained.
“That’s pretty smart. Use a real shipping company to travel around undetected. I’d guess you were behind this, right?” Mark’s tone was more upbeat. His grief was still there, but Sarah’s flare for this was quite admirable. He found himself staring at Sarah again. His admiration for her smarts had caused the feelings to well up again. For a brief moment, he wished that Sarah was his one.
“Of course,” Sarah’s tone picked up as well. Mark was as contagious to her as she was to him. “And over there, those three are mine.” Sarah pointed at three almost new cars in the back.
“You have cars, so why did we walk?” Mark asked, feigning indignance. He had a good idea why they had walked, he wasn’t a complete idiot.
Sarah raised one eyebrow, playing along with Mark.
“Do you want to be caught? They know what all my cars look like, I’m sure there were many resources scouring the streets looking for us driving,” she said.
“Ok, ok, smarty pants. How did you get so good at this?” Mark asked, then realized it was a stupid question. He thought that maybe he was trying to flirt with Sarah, but he sucked at it.
“I’ve just been doing this a long time,” Sarah replied.
Mark realized, he shouldn’t flirt. He was very bad at it and it only made him feel dumb, it was Sarah’s thing.
Sarah walked in the front door and waived to the desk clerk before going through a door to the back room. Mark was amused at how Sarah always acted like she was in charge. Then Mark understood, she probably did own this place. This woman was the Sarah that he had known for almost as long as he had known Jen, but there was so much more to her than he had ever suspected. This woman owned corporations, hotels and obscure shipping companies. What else did he not know about his best friend? This intrigued Mark and his longing for her grew stronger.
As they walked through the almost vacant loading docks Mark thought about the first time he met Sarah. It was during the dress rehearsal for his wedding to Jen. Sarah wore a long flowing, red evening dress with slits up to her thighs. The dress had spaghetti straps and a low cut neck line that nearly went to her stomach, this was to show off Sarah’s ample cleavage. Mark found himself staring at her all night, but it wasn’t just her beauty that mesmerized him. If it had been only beauty he would have quickly forgotten about her. She was funny and smart and had a personality that no one could find fault with. That was the first time he realized that she was Jen and Jen was Sarah, they had nearly the same personality. The only thing that kept them from being the exact same person was their looks and Sarah’s outgoing, flirty demeanor. Jen was just as flirty and just as sexual, she just did it in private and only for him.
“Here it is,” Sarah said sounding disappointed. In front of Sarah was a plain looking delivery truck. “There is a delivery uniform in that room.” Sarah pointed to a door that said ‘Employees only’ and then looked at him like a puppy being left at the side of the road.
“What’s wrong?” Mark asked. Even Mark’s near obliviousness to Sarah’s feelings couldn’t miss this one.
“This is where we say goodbye. At least for a while,” Sarah said then looked at her shoes again.
“What?!” Mark nearly ha
d a panic attack. Why was Sarah leaving?! How could he do this without her?! Where was she going?!
“I have to find out what’s going on. We need information. You need time to grieve. Truthfully, so do I.” Sarah didn’t sound happy about this but this was something that needed to be done. After an awkward silence she started again. “You will be fine. My sister Agnus will look after you and hopefully teach you what we’re up against, if you’ll listen.”
“I’ll listen!” Mark realized that he sounded too eager to please Sarah but it was too late to unsay it. Mark didn’t want to leave Sarah and he certainly didn’t want to disappoint her again. “Another sister? So, is she like a drill instructor or something?” Mark asked.
“No, silly,” Sarah’s upbeat personality returned for a moment. “She’s a professor of ancient history. You and I…” Sarah put her hand flat and raised it up to her nose. “We’re smart.” Then she raised her hand above her head. “She’s SMART!”
Honestly, Mark thought Sarah was quite a bit smarter than he was. Sarah was being kind or protecting his feelings. Most of the time, even before today, Mark felt like the kid they let in to the advanced math class who really didn’t belong there. Even with something he was really good at, computer programming, Sarah left him in the dust.
“I’m gonna miss you.” Sarah held her arms out wide for a hug.
This sent Mark into another panic attack. He avoided hugging Sarah while he was married to Jen. Not that Jen would have minded, it just felt like a betrayal. Often times he told Sarah he was just not a hugger, when in reality he really wanted to. He just knew the overwhelming guilt that would follow. He always vowed that he would never put himself in that kind of situation, where he might feel something for Sarah. Jen was everything to him when she was alive, why was it different now?
This time Sarah didn’t give him any choice, she had no idea how long it would be before she saw him again. He wasn’t getting out of it this time. Before Mark could come up with an excuse, Sarah thrust herself at him and squeezed. Mark had little choice, she was stronger than he was. After a few seconds he hugged her back. It felt wonderful. She was warm and soft and smelled magnificent, all his apprehensions left, there was only her.
After a few moments they both decided that they needed to stop. Mark nervously took a step back.
“I’ll miss you,” Mark said then immediately felt embarrassed.
“I’ll miss you too, cutie,” Sarah said, she on the other hand, was not embarrassed.
“I thought you weren’t going to call me that anymore?” Mark asked with a silly grin.
“Yeah, you need a new nickname. What shall it be?” Sarah put her index finger on her chin to emphasize the fact that she was giving this some serious thought. “I know I’ll just call you sexy from now on.” Sarah’s smile was fiendish, she knew how Mark would react.
Mark’s face turned bright red. He was flattered but very embarrassed.
“Well we can’t have you turning red every time I call you that so maybe something a little less extreme.” This made Mark turn an even brighter shade of red. Sarah thought his face might explode.
“Fine, fine, we’ll just stick with cutie,” Sarah relinquished. “You’re still cute, just with a little extra.” Sarah stuck out her tongue at him.
Mark often thought that Sarah was somewhat childish, but it worked for her. It was actually quite endearing.
“Well, I guess I should head out,” Mark said sadly, trying to look away until his face quit looking like a tomato.
“Me too, we need to know what’s going on. Don’t worry I’ll be back in a few months or so,” Sarah sighed.
A few months?! Mark thought Sarah meant a few days, a week maybe, but months?!
“Why so long?” Mark tried to act calm but Sarah could hear the desperation in his voice.
“Sariel lives in Europe, he would have headed back there as soon as he found out we escaped his vampires,” Sarah explained. “It’s gonna take me some time to figure out what’s going on. Somehow he knew about you and Jen and exactly where Jen was that day. He knew where I was taking you and which room we were in. Someone I trusted must have told him and I need to find out who. Don’t worry, I’ll be back.” Sarah punched Mark in the arm a little too hard and he winced.
This time it was Mark with his arms wide. If he wasn’t going to see Sarah for a few months, he wanted to remember how she felt, how she smelled, everything about her. Sarah returned the hug, which was longer than last time. She pushed her face up against his chest and he wished it would never end.
The delivery driver walked up behind them and startled them both. “We need to leave in about five minutes, probably better get your uniform on.”
Reluctantly Sarah released Mark and started walking for the door they had come in. Mark couldn’t help but stare as Sarah walked away. Her amazing body in that undersized shirt and tight jeans. How he wished he could have Sarah, she was everything he wanted. Sarah turned around as she reached the door and Mark tried to hide the fact that he was staring at her lustfully.
“When you see Agnus, tell her what I just told you, and tell her hi from me. I think you’re gonna like her. She kinda reminds me of Jen, a little stiff, but once you get to know her…,” Sarah smirked as she opened the door and left.
Chapter 11
Mark road with the delivery driver for hours. He was so worn out that he fell asleep for most of the ride and had no idea where they ended up. It was funny to him how he could be a super strong, half-angel but he still got tired like a normal person. Soon after Mark woke up the driver pulled into a small town a ways off the main highway. They had traveled along deserted dirt roads to reach it. From the looks of it the town could have only had about three hundred people in it. There was one general store, one gas station, and soon the driver pulled up to the one auditorium.
“We’re here,” the driver said monotonously. Apparently he had made this run several times. “Just go inside the doors, someone will greet you.”
Mark thanked the driver, got out of the truck and walked inside the doors. Once inside he saw eleven other people he assumed were also new Asuune judging by their delivery uniforms and the dumbfounded look on their faces. There were men and women of all different races and some of them were speaking different languages. Most of people were standing in pairs, some in threes and Mark was all alone.
A dark skinned woman with straight, black hair and glasses came walking through the back door of the auditorium. She looked important. She carried a clipboard and behind her was a giant of a man who seemed to be her guard. The man behind her wore grey sweat pants and a dull tan shirt. His hair was cut very short and he had a serious expression on his face. The man was much larger than Mark. He assumed the man to be somewhere around six foot six and probably over three hundred. He was large and ominous as he followed the woman.
“My name is Sophia, but you can call me Agnus. This man behind me is Charles,” Agnus said motioning behind her with her free hand.
“You are not to call me Chuck or Charlie. You will address me as Charles or sir,” Charles said in a very deep voice appropriate for his size. He was forceful but it seemed more like it was an act. He looked kind before he spoke and the kindness returned afterward. This man’s serious expression didn’t fool Mark. His body language gave him away. Charles was a kind man no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
“We’re here to give you an introduction to your new life. This life will not be easy. In fact, you will be staying in cots here for your first year,” Agnus explained. Someone in the front raised their hand. “There will be time for questions when I’m done, I will speak to each of you individually to determine how you can help us and how we can best help you.” Agnus took a step forward but Charles didn’t move, he just stood behind her looking menacing. Mark noticed the kindness was replaced with a stern look but still Mark wasn’t fooled.
“Truth time,” Agnus started. “You may not want to hear it but you need to. The reason fo
r the cots in an auditorium is because seven of you will not make it one year. You will either die or be turned into a vampire. This is not to scare you, it is just the truth. I hope we don’t lose any of you but facts are facts.” Agnus pushed her glasses up her nose then continued. “Out of the five that remain two of those won’t make it through the next year. Look to your right, then your left. Get to know these people. They are your new best friends. The best way to survive is to have someone watching your back. There are no heroes, no chosen ones. I know you’ve all met Sarah, some of you even think you know her. Some of you might even have a crush on her. That is her talent. She can make anyone feel like the most important person in the world. My sister was supposed to be here to introduce you and make this smoother but apparently something came up.”
Mark’s stomach sank, was that all it was? Was Sarah giving him a line? For nearly twenty years? Mark thought of all the times Sarah flirted with him, waking up with her on his chest in the hotel room, the hugs goodbye. Was it all a lie? Was he just another new Asuune, one that would probably die in the first two years? Mark started to feel depressed then Agnus started talking loudly again.
“Now with that out of the way let me explain what we expect. We expect you to help out, pay attention and learn how not to die. Most of you, with your new found strength, will help with menial chores such as building houses. The houses are for the few of you that make it through the year. We need experienced plumbers, electricians, things like this. I will determine your job when we speak.” With that Agnus motioned to Charles and he stepped forward.
“My job is to prepare you for the inevitable. I’m not here for combat training. I’m here to teach you how to defend yourself. I’m sure Sarah has explained to you that we cannot kill them. This is what makes it so difficult. I’ll be honest with you, we’re losing this war. That is another reason that you will only be training with me once a week. It is much more important for us to survive and for that we need knowledge. We will provide college level courses in history, many technical vocations and most other things that help us figure out how to win this war. I was in the military, obviously, but I was a construction architect. So I will mostly be teaching you about structural engineering. Pretty much anything else will fall to Agnus or one of her assistants.” Charles gave a strange smile for a man so large. He must really like structural engineering, Mark assumed.
Curse of the Asuune Page 8