Curse of the Asuune

by Jr Steven Sterup

  “I could use her help?” Kathrine asked, trying to get Hailey to turn back around. “That’s pretty vague.” What was Hailey so embarrassed about? She seemed very shifty. Maybe she was a bad liar and was trying to hide her face.

  “That’s what he said,” Hailey said as she turned to face Kathrine. She didn’t look like she was lying but something strange was going on.

  “So, I noticed that you’re a Versi. When you were really hurting your fangs came out,” Kathrine said. She was trying to get Hailey to talk about herself. She wanted to know more about her. If this was all an elaborate plan to get her away from the settlement maybe she could find holes in Hailey’s story.

  “Yes, a wolf like my brother,” Hailey stated. She didn’t seem like she was trying to bait Kathrine into anything. In fact, getting any information from Hailey was like pulling teeth. What kind of evil plot relies on the person doing the deceiving to be nearly silent?

  “You think Paul needs help with Elyon?” Kathrine asked, still trying to get Hailey to give up some kind of information.

  “You don’t really know Paul do you?” Hailey asked in reply.

  What kind of question was that? She would like to know Paul. Her body would also love to know Paul. Since she had only talked to him twice and both added up to less than five minutes, it was rather hard to really know anything about the man except that she really wanted him.

  “Nope,” Kathrine replied. She didn’t want to go into details. Her rambling about her frustrations would not help her find out any information from Hailey.

  “Well, I doubt Paul needs help with Elyon,” Hailey smirked. Apparently Hailey did know Paul and suddenly Kathrine was envious. “Paul is more powerful than Sarah. And my brother isn’t dumb enough to fight Paul. Unless…” Hailey suddenly stopped and looked deep in thought. The suspense was killing Kathrine.

  “What?!” Kathrine almost yelled.

  “If he had others on his side. If it wasn’t just Paul and Elyon. Or if Azazel wanted Paul dead for some reason. Then Paul might be in trouble.” Hailey looked serious about this. Kathrine was starting to worry when she realized that this is exactly how someone would lead her into a trap. Subtly suggest that Paul might actually need help. Keep withholding information so that Kathrine would think it was her idea to leave. That was the kind of evil plot that required the deceiver to be silent. She could be telling the truth or she could be setting the bait very carefully. Sarah had said that Hailey was evil, maybe she was also very good at deception.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Kathrine started. “I need to find out what’s going on. If Paul wants my help then it must be serious. What do you think?” Kathrine was trying to gauge Hailey’s response to this. If Kathrine was walking into a trap she was going to do it with her eyes wide open.

  “Maybe, but Sarah would never let you leave,” Hailey replied.

  “I can find a way around that. There are deliveries here at least once a week. We just climb into one of the trucks and get somewhere that I can rent a car.” Kathrine was setting up some bait of her own.

  “Umm…ok,” Hailey agreed. “I could use some time away from Sarah. Actually everyone here hates me I think. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate what Sarah and Agnus did for me. I just feel like I’m unwanted.”

  Well, Sarah had wanted to kick her out and for once Agnus agreed with Sarah so that part was the truth. This all seemed too coincidental though and Kathrine just couldn’t shake the feeling that Hailey was hiding something. This might be the best way to find out without endangering everyone else.

  “I’ll pack some stuff and tomorrow during our shift there should be a truck. We’ll just sneak into the back after he fuels up and we’ll be off, ok?” Kathrine asked.

  “Ok, I won’t say a word,” Hailey replied. Truthfully, who was she going to tell? She only spoke to Kathrine and Agnus and Agnus didn’t like her.

  That night Kathrine had supper with Sarah and her dad. She struggled with whether or not she should tell them what she was doing but, in the end, she decided she should. She was a grown woman who knew what she was getting into. She wanted them to trust her and also if they knew, they could give her some backup if she needed it.

  “Guys,” Kathrine began. “I am going to sneak out of the settlement tomorrow with Hailey. She told me that Paul could use some help. Since Elyon is there or on his way, I’m thinking it has something to do with him. What do you think?”

  “What? Hell no!” Mark replied.

  “Wait, think about it for a second before you go telling her what to do. She is a grown woman, Mark,” Sarah said. She didn’t often disagree with Mark, this was shocking.

  “I’m pretty sure that she’s up to something. She’s hiding something. Maybe I can figure out what’s going on without actually having to face Elyon. Maybe get some information on him and what’s going on there,” Kathrine explained.

  “Look what happened last time.” Mark still sounded upset.

  “Yes, let’s look at what happened last time.” Sarah seemed to actually be upset with Mark. This was unheard of, at least recently. “She met with Paul, found out that vampires are weak to a solution of holy water and silver dust when mixed. She found out that the vampires are now using guns provided by Azazel and that Paul is a spy on our side. Anything else?” Sarah looked snidely at her future husband.

  Mark just stood there with his mouth open. She was right, he was being overprotective and he knew it.

  “I did get shot four times and drown but all in all I think we came out ahead,” Kathrine smiled.

  “But you almost died,” Mark stated. It was his only argument and his tone suggested that he knew he was losing this.

  “Not really, she got pretty beat up. And yes, I was upset about the deceiving us part but she is coming out and telling us her plan this time. She is doing this the right way. I for one would rather know what she’s doing in case she needs help. She is a Versi who wants to get in this fight. Paul is there and may be in danger, I’m proud of her for thinking this through instead of just leaving. You will call if you need help right?” Sarah asked turning back to Kathrine.

  “Of course, I’ll even text you with what’s going on or call if you want,” Kathrine replied.

  “Yes, please let us know what’s going on. We’ll be there as soon as we can if you need help,” Sarah assured her.

  “I guess I don’t get much say in this?” Mark asked.

  “Nope,” Sarah and Kathrine said in unison.

  “I’m not a little kid anymore. I need to learn about this stuff or I could die. You can’t protect me every minute of the day, dad.” Kathrine looked kindly on her dad. She wasn’t angry with him, she loved him very much.

  “Yes, you and Sarah are right. I still want to treat you like a kid and I’m sorry,” Mark apologized.

  “Hey, that’s not always a bad thing. I like being your little girl,” Kathrine replied as she hugged him.

  “Be safe,” Sarah said when it was her turn for a hug.

  “One more thing,” Sarah said quietly as she walked Kathrine to the door. She waited until Mark was out of earshot to finish. “Don’t have sex with him until you are ready to be with him full time.”

  “What?” Kathrine was appalled that Sarah just assumed she would have sex with Paul. Her stomach started doing flips again. Why was her body never on her side?

  “If he is your one, believe me you will want to but don’t. You won’t be able to stay away and neither will he,” Sarah explained.

  “Umm…what?” Kathrine couldn’t believe the words coming out of Sarah’s mouth. She was a little embarrassed but this thought had crossed her mind a time or two. She really wanted Paul, if given the chance she would take it.

  “It will complete your bonding and it will get very difficult to stay apart. Why do you think I let Charles take over the recruiting? It’s probably gonna be a year or so before your dad and I can be apart and not go crazy,” Sarah said.

  “Umm…ok, I won’t,” Kath
rine conceded as she left. It was a strange conversation but she guessed that Sarah was serious. Kathrine put this out of her mind and headed home to pack.

  In the morning Hailey was waiting at the gas station with a small bag. She hadn’t brought much stuff with her so Kathrine guessed that this was all she had. Kathrine, on the other hand, had packed light on purpose. She had enough money in her bank account to cover anything they might come across. In fact, when her parents ‘died’ they had left her their entire fortune. She had only used a little of it to pay for her college, other than that it sat untouched.

  “You ready?” Hailey asked as Kathrine walked into the station.

  “Yep, he should be here in a little bit,” Kathrine replied. “You look nice today.” Kathrine was attempting to make small talk to pass the time but Hailey seemed to get upset. Hailey stood up and started walking to one of the large windows and tried to appear as if she was watching for the truck.

  “I still have urges when I smell humans. Please don’t let me relapse. Smack me if you have to,” Hailey said trying to change the subject.

  “If you insist,” Kathrine joked.

  The truck pulled up moments later and a younger man got out. He was slightly overweight, a side effect of the job Kathrine thought. The man stepped out of his truck and started to pump the gas. Many times there was no attendant and any of the regular drivers would just fill up and then be on their way. They provided transport for the Asuune and worked for Sarah so there was never any reason to pay for the gas. Each driver had a code to punch in to the keypad of the gas pump, Kathrine being there to help them wasn’t actually required.

  Kathrine and Hailey snuck around the back of the distracted man and then quickly hid behind the truck. When the man entered the station to use the bathroom they lifted the door just enough to slide underneath then shut it quietly once they were inside. Within a few minutes the driver had taken off for his next stop. Kathrine wasn’t quite sure where this particular truck was going but likely it was heading to another one of Sarah’s stations or drop offs. Bored with the silence and a little nervous, Kathrine decided that now would be a good time to test Hailey.

  “So, you’re from Egypt?” Kathrine asked.

  “Yes, lived there most of my life until recently. Been hiding from my brother for the last two hundred years or so in America.” Hailey looked calm. Talking about her homeland seemed to put her at east, just what Kathrine had predicted.

  “You don’t have much of an accent but I guess you’ve had two hundred years to practice. I’m still getting used to this living til the end of time thing. So strange,” Kathrine trailed off. She hoped this might get Hailey to talk more and it worked.

  “The first few hundred years it was an adventure and I always had new things to do and see. The next hundred I was depressed. Having run out of new things I headed back home only to find my brother had enslaved the whole countryside. Some of the family names I had known as a child were now slaves. These were wealthy families, the celebrities of that age. My brother had forced everyone into poverty except for himself and a few families that shared his goals. Until then I had drank the blood as if it were just another wine, never realizing what had to happen to the humans that it came from. Maybe I did know but refused to accept it. I was naïve, like the teenager who goes to a fast food restaurant not realizing that their double cheeseburger was once a cow.” Hailey seemed very passionate about this. It didn’t seem like a lie.

  “Then the years after that are a blur. First I tried to resist my brother. He had an ingenious system of torture that ensured I would need him. He would lock me in a cage and refuse to give me blood. After the withdrawals started he would give me enough blood to last another day, set me free then recapture me and start over. He did this for what must have been decades. Sometimes he would let me stay out of the cage for a few days but never longer. By the time he was done with me I would have done anything to not feel that again, except kill. Even the torture was not enough to make me kill humans. One time I refused for so long that I nearly died before Elyon gave in. He broke my spirit but he couldn’t take that last bit of humanity from me.” Hailey looked like she might cry.

  “I’m not sure I would have been able to take it, I might have broke.” Kathrine was trying to be supportive but strangely it seemed to upset Hailey.

  “Like that could even happen to you,” Hailey laughed resentfully. “I saw the way you were sickened by the smell of blood. It never would have happened to you, because you’re strong. I’m weak.”

  “You drove here while having withdrawals. That takes some strength, don’t sell yourself short. And you did get away from your brother eventually.” Again Hailey seemed to react badly to Kathrine. She looked down so that Kathrine couldn’t see her face.

  “Thanks.” Hailey didn’t look up.

  “So that means you were alive when Jesus was. Did you know him?” Kathrine asked, she had meant to ask Sarah this question as well but it kept slipping her mind.

  “Actually, no. Surprisingly he wasn’t that well known until after he died. Only the local people spoke with him and he was very popular there. Outside of that little corner of the world he was virtually unknown. The stories started coming in years after his death and many of us made the trip to see where he was buried and speak to the people that knew him. Many of us were convinced that he was a hoax perpetrated by one of the fallen angels but even the most apprehensive of us realized that he was the real thing eventually. The sermons and the teachings were too perfect to be a hoax. It was the son of God and we missed him.” Now Hailey looked really depressed. Kathrine’s strategy had backfired. How was she to know that this was a touchy subject? Did all of the old Asuune feel this way? Barely missing the chance to meet Jesus would be a very upsetting ordeal.

  The rest of their trip they spent mostly silent. Kathrine had failed to get Hailey to talk much and it didn’t seem like she could remedy this situation now.

  Chapter 28

  Within a few hours they reached the drivers next delivery and carefully snuck out of the truck. From there Kathrine rented a car and they headed toward Paul. Along the way Hailey gave directions to the small town where one of her friends lived. Hailey said that her friend, John, was an expert on the vampires of the area. He had been the one who found her when she was trying to free herself from the blood. Hailey found it strange that this man lived only hours from where Paul was. This smelled like a set up.

  When they arrived to pick up John he wasn’t alone. Apparently Hailey wasn’t happy to see the woman that John was with, although it was clear that the two didn’t know each other. The woman was as short as Sarah and had curly strawberry blonde hair. She looked young, perhaps nineteen or so and had blue eyes. Kathrine looked at her with envy in the rear view mirror. She had often wished she was blonde like her mother. Somehow in her mind blondes just looked more attractive. The woman had a fairly large chest for such a small girl and again Kathrine was envious. Who was she kidding? Why would Paul want her when he had choices like Kelly, Hailey and Sarah? What man would choose her over any of those three?

  John looked just as Hailey described. Blonde, handsome and tall. He was also just as arrogant and annoying as Hailey had said. If it wasn’t for him talking Kathrine thought she might actually be attracted to him, that is if it wasn’t for Paul. It was stupid how much sway Paul had over her. She only wanted him now and it was starting to get really annoying.

  Moody Hailey, as Kathrine had begun to call her, came back as soon as the two joined them in the car. It was like Hailey had two personalities fighting for control. The switch was so abrupt that Kathrine began to refer to them as if they were two people. Moody Hailey was the one that sat looking at her lap or staring out a window when someone was talking to her. She avoided eye contact and generally appeared annoyed that the person dared speak to her. She much preferred the Nice Hailey. This half of Hailey was an interesting and nice person, someone Kathrine could be friends with. What had she gotten hers
elf into? She almost felt like she could trust Nice Hailey but whenever Moody Hailey came out she knew that this would be a mistake. Perhaps Hailey had multiple personalities? This could explain a lot. Maybe Moody Hailey was setting a trap for Kathrine and Nice Hailey knew nothing about it?

  The rest of the way Hailey tried to ignore the conversations going on unless someone specifically asked her a question. Kathrine found it hard to hate Kelly, she was actually quite nice despite looking like some teenage wet dream come to life. By the time they reached the hotel Kathrine had booked for them she was feeling easier around them. John was annoying but easy to get along with and Kelly was just as sweet as she looked.

  As they walked up to the hotel Kathrine saw the hooded man again. It was just for a second but it had been him. Someone was following her. Although he was following her he didn’t seem to be dangerous. Was the hooded man even there? No one else had seen him, or at least didn’t mention it. Maybe she was being paranoid or maybe, she hoped, it was Paul or someone hired by Paul to look after her. This made her happy, the hooded man had never done anything aggressive, he only watched.

  “Now, for the bad news,” Kathrine said as she returned with three hotel keys. “They had three rooms and we now have four people. Sorry, Kelly I didn’t know you were coming. So, unless you and John are an item, someone is going to have to share.”

  “It’s no problem, the two of us can share a room.” Hailey said quickly.

  “That works actually, I got a suite. It is my money, after all,” Kathrine teased.

  “Then it’s settled,” Kelly agreed as she took her key from Kathrine. “See you ladies in the morning and you too dork.” Kelly smacked John on the back of the head as she walked by. She was so nice and fun that Kathrine began to feel guilty for wanting to hate her. She was impossible to hate and that made her want to hate her even more.