Leilani

by LM DeWalt

  “He’s looking at us,” the driver said as the car slowed. Could it be Mateo?

  Mateo, can you hear me? I’m in here… Stop the car… Stop them…

  “See? I told you we were fine. He didn’t even look at us. Just keep driving. We’re almost there,” the woman said.

  The sounds of the city, the beeping car horns, and the sound of voices faded as I rolled to the back of the car. By the feel of it, we were climbing. Hopeful that we were going to the mountain where Jose Luis and Leilani most likely were hidden, I kept silent and waited. They would be taking me out of the car soon enough and I would be close to them, or at least I hoped.

  “You just passed it, you ass. Back up,” the woman commanded.

  “Oh, right. I just thought since the boy…”

  “Shut your mouth! Nothing about the boy. Right here is good,” she said.

  “Should I pop the trunk?” the man asked.

  “Now think about it a moment… Pop the trunk from in here and what happens to the vampire? I’m waiting,” the woman spoke as if to a five year old.

  “Uhh, ha, ha, you’re right. Never mind,” the man said and opened his door.

  The trunk popped open and a pair of hands grabbed me, one behind my neck and one behind my bent knees. After a few steps, the smell of urine and dirt filled my lungs. I could almost taste them. “Put me down,” I commanded.

  “Soon enough,” the woman answered in Spanish though I had said it in English. “Right there,” she said to the man.

  He dropped me on the ground, my head bouncing off cement. “Damn it!” I yelled.

  “Shut up!” the woman yelled back. “Undo her arms,” she commanded. He roughly undid the binds holding my wrists. I immediately rubbed them, feeling blood where the binds had rubbed my skin raw. Then, I felt his hands on my legs. “I said her arms!”

  “Right,” he said and moved away. “Now?” he asked.

  “Of course now. You should have stayed in school.” The woman grabbed my arms and held them up above my head. She dug her nails into the already raw flesh, making me bite my lip to stop from screaming. Cold metal replaced her warm hands. A click on each side and my hands were released. They now hung above my head, bound by some kind of cuffs. I wiggled them. Chains rattled.

  “Are you kidding me?” I barked when I realized I was bound to the damp wall behind me. “Who the hell are you?”

  “We are your new family so be nice to us. We will be the ones taking care of you, the ones feeding you. If I were you, I would be especially nice,” the woman said right into my ear, her cheap perfume mixing with the dirt and urine, making me gag.

  “What makes you think I would eat anything, or anyone, you offered? It smells like a urinal in here,” I complained.

  “When you are starved for blood, you will. It is in your nature, that is your way, vam-pire,” she pronounced vampire as if it were the dirtiest of words.

  “I will take nothing from you,” I answered through clenched teeth. “Take this thing off my head.”

  “Oh, no you don’t. You don’t tell me what to do.” The woman said. The man laughed from somewhere in the room.

  “You’re nothing but cowards. Show yourselves.”

  “Not yet, my dear. Maybe later, if you behave,” she said and moved away from me. “Let’s go, and make sure the door is locked.”

  “But she can’t move,” the man argued.

  “She’s still a vampire and I’m not taking any chances.” Heavy metal slammed and a key turned in a lock. They were gone. I was alone in this dark, cold, stinking room, the dampness of the ground and wall seeping through my clothes and into my skin.

  Please, if anyone can hear me, I’m here… The only problem was I didn’t know where here was. The car had climbed for a while before coming to a stop. We were somewhere high but it could be anywhere. The Andes surrounded us. It was hopeless. My pleas would reach no one from this distance. No one knew where I was. No one could come for me.

  I rested my head against the cold wall, my hair caught in something, probably loose rock. Tears filled my eyes as I realized just how bad my situation really was. At that moment, I regretted going to meet Mateo alone. Had Christian been with me, this would not have happened. Or maybe it would have. Maybe he’d be locked in here with me, or worse, dead. Someone had been watching us. They knew when I was alone and knew exactly when to strike. Though we had listened, we had heard no thoughts about us near our building. We had gotten too comfortable, too complacent. We were worried about finding Jose Luis and nothing more. We stopped worrying about Melinda, and Maia, and anything else that had led to this.

  I wished I had my cell phone, but even if I did, it wouldn’t do any good. My hands were shackled above my head in a most uncomfortable position. It was metal in stone, or at least that’s what it felt like against my back. How hard could it be to pull them out of the wall? I pushed against the wall and sat up straighter. I wiggled my arms and confirmed by the sound that it was some kind of metal. Pulling my head and torso away from the wall as hard as I could, I clenched my teeth and withstood the pain in my already tender wrists. Nothing happened. I took a deep breath and tried pulling just my wrists away from the wall over and over, the chains banging against the wall, grunts escaping my mouth. “Come on!” I screamed.

  The door hitting the wall behind it stopped my furious attempts. “What are you doing? You will wake up the whole mountain,” the woman yelled.

  “Nothing.”

  “It does not sound like nothing from out there. Here, let me have it,” she commanded to someone else.

  “Do you have to? Maybe we can make her be quiet another way?” the same man from earlier asked.

  “You think you can reason with a vampire? She’s no different than an animal. Shut up and give it to me.”

  “Take it. Can I go?” the man asked in a whisper.

  “You are such a coward. You can’t watch me shoot a vampire? It won’t kill it,” the woman answered.

  “Wait, what? Shoot me?” I tried to sit up straighter. At that moment, I really wished I had Aloysius’s power to vanish. “I promise I won’t try to escape.” I brought my knees close to my chest, as if that would stop her from shooting me, as if making myself into a ball made me invisible.

  “Don’t worry. It will only hurt for a little while. I just need to keep you weak,” she said and took a deep breath. What came next was searing pain and burning fire in my left thigh. The instant wetness ran down my thigh. I tried to straighten my leg but cringed from the effort. It was already going numb.

  “Shit!” I screamed. “You really shot me!”

  “Take it easy, lady. It was only your leg. Wooden bullet. Should keep you down until we remove it, or until she kills you, whichever comes first,” she bent down and fussed with the sack on my head, making sure it was still tight around my neck. “It’s a shame you do not need to breathe. It would save a lot of time. You would already be dead. Come on, idiot. Let’s go.”

  Oh, God! The pain was unbearable. I wanted to see the wound, dig the wooden bullet out of my leg myself but I was completely helpless. All I could do was sit here and await my fate.

  I don’t know how many hours passed since they first dumped me in this stinking room, but no one came back for what seemed like an eternity. The wound in my leg had stopped burning, but I could feel in every muscle of my body that I was much weaker. Maybe it was more from hunger than the bullet, but regardless, I could do nothing but hang my head, close my eyes, and wait. I would have welcomed sleep to pass away the hours, to take me from the dread consuming me, but no. No such escape would ever come.

  The key turning in the old lock made me sit up. “Who’s here?”

  “Are you ready to eat yet?” the woman asked. “I am sure you are hungry by now.” Her voice was close to me now. I jumped when her hands touched my neck. “I am taking this off. Try anything and I will shoot you again, and this time it won’t be your leg.”

  She undid the tie around my neck an
d slowly pulled the smelly cloth off my head. A flash of white hit my eyes and I blinked to stop the burning and watering. Eager to see who my captor was, I blinked a few more times to clear my vision since I could not wipe the wetness away. Black dusty boots greeted me first. Somehow I had pictured my captor as older, a woman slumped over from age and wearing rags. That was far from the truth as I looked at her slim jean-clad legs. As I raised my head, she placed both hands on her hips and tapped one dusty boot on the ground. Her black sweater was also dusty but far from a rag. It hung off her bare shoulders without falling and revealing too much. Her long black hair lay in a thick braid against her left breast. She smiled at me, her dark eyes amused. “Not what you were expecting, huh?”

  “Who are you?” I asked as I looked into her almond shaped brown eyes.

  “That’s not important right now. Are you ready to eat?” she asked again.

  “What? From you?” I shuddered at the thought.

  “I would love nothing more than that but unfortunately, I have my orders. I’m being watched too so I can’t do what I truly want, at least not right now. But we do have someone for you, someone who may be more appetizing than me.” She walked to the door.

  The room was small, illuminated by a single uncovered light bulb that hung low from the ceiling. Graffiti covered most of the stone walls. On the far side sat a table with some wrapped bundles on it. As I suspected, the floor was dirt, muddy in some spots and I shuddered to think of how those spots got wet. I looked above and saw my wrists hanging from steel cuffs, dried blood on my skin from the already healed wounds. Upon closer examination, I noticed three more pairs of cuffs hung from chains. Who the hell were these people? Did they make it a habit to keep prisoners in this disgusting room?

  “He is coming with your meal. You best show your appreciation by eating what we are offering,” she advised as she knelt beside me.

  “And if I don’t?”

  She stroked my cheek with the back of her warm hand. Before she could answer, a man walked in holding someone’s hand. The small hand belonged to someone who hid behind his legs. My stomach flipped when I realized the hand had to belong to a child. The woman’s smile broadened as she stood and walked over to the man. She reached behind him and took the child’s hand, pulling her from the safety of the man’s legs.

  “This is dinner,” she announced as a wide eyed little girl stared at me, her bottom lip quivering as her eyes locked on mine. She lifted a shaky hand and pulled her dirty collar to the side, revealing small scabs.

  “Are you crazy? I will not do this!”

  “Either you eat from her, or she dies. You get the power to decide her fate,” the woman placed her hands on the child’s shoulders and nudged her forward. “You don’t want little Leilani to die, do you?”

  Leilani! It couldn’t be, could it? “I cannot drink from a child. I will not!”

  “You can and you will. This is what we are offering, take it or leave it. You choose, but you know what the consequences are.” She shoved the child closer to me.

  “I will not, and besides, I’m not even hungry,” I argued. “Where did you get this child?”

  “That is none of your business. You don’t get to ask questions. You are to do as you are told and nothing more,” she said as she stroked the girl’s neck. “She is delicious, or so I’ve been told.”

  “You people are sick! How dare you take advantage of an innocent child,” I shook my head, never taking my eyes from the child’s. “You cannot make me do this!”

  “Please, señorita, drink from me,” the child’s timid voice was barely audible. She tilted her head, her dark tangled hair falling to the side. “It does not hurt… Much.”

  What could I possibly do? If I didn’t obey, the child would die. That would be just as much my fault as if I made her my meal. “Come here, please,” I said as I looked at the girl’s face with a smile. As the woman approached with the girl, I looked at her. “Just the girl. Back away if you want me to do this.”

  “I don’t think so,” the woman said and continued forward. “I cannot trust you.”

  “What exactly do you think I’m going to do? I’m chained to a wall. I’m weakened from your damned wooden bullet. I’m helpless and completely at your mercy.”

  The woman hesitated for a moment, thinking about my words. She nudged the girl forward again but she did not move. “Fine, have it your way. I will be right here so don’t try anything stupid.” She walked toward the entrance and stopped, leaning against the wall.

  The child took small steps and closed the distance between us. She sat on my lap, taking a handful of her hair and placing it to the other side, revealing her already abused neck. Listen, I really do not want to do this. Blink two times if you can hear me… The girl’s eyes widened before she blinked. I looked at the woman to make sure she had not heard. She stood against the wall, chewing on her finger nails.

  I am going to bite; making a wound… I will not drink but pretend that I am… Please… For your own good…

  Leilani blinked twice and leaned into me, placing her neck against my lips. Could I really bite without indulging in her warm blood? I had to. I wrapped my lips around her warm neck and positioned my fangs, biting down to pierce her tender skin. Blood flowed instantly and I lapped it with my tongue allowing a few drops to reach her shirt. As I kept my mouth against her neck, my fangs withdrawn, she moaned and fell against me. It was obvious she had been a source of blood many times before, as she knew exactly what to do. The burning in my throat added to my anger, but I had to keep my cool. I had to make these people believe that I was feasting from this girl.

  After a few minutes, I pulled my mouth aside, turning my head to the side. “Take her,” I panted. “I’ve had enough.”

  The woman rushed over to lift the limp girl from my lap. She flopped in her arms. “Did you kill her?” she asked.

  “No, just weakened her. She will need some red meat now and plenty of rest,” I licked my lips as if licking the last drop off.

  “You don’t need to tell me how to take care of a feeder. I already know,” she said as she stood with Leilani in her arms.

  “A feeder? How often do you do this? How many vampires are up here?” I asked.

  “It doesn’t matter how many there are. There are some who pass through here and will pay top dollar for one of our feeders. It’s what needs to be done to keep travelers from killing the population. Believe me, not one of the feeders ever complains. They enjoy it,” she turned to leave. “Oh, and by the way, this one is completely yours. She will be your only meal from now on.”

  THIRTEEN

  If only I had been able to feed, I would have gained back some strength. Unfortunately, it would not be until the wooden bullet was out of my leg that I could hope to have enough strength to break the chains holding me here. But feeding from Leilani, especially if it was the Leilani we were looking for, was not an option. The problem was, would I be able to resist her blood the next time she was brought to me? I was hungry this time but not to the point my hunger would have forced me to feed from a child, at least not yet.

  The key turning in the lock snapped me from my thoughts. The woman entered carrying a bucket. “It’s time to wash you up,” she said as she turned the light on, shedding a yellow glow on the dingy room.

  “What for?” I asked and sat up straighter. My leg turned into dead weight as I dragged myself back on the dirt.

  “You can’t meet my boss looking like this, now can you? You’re a mess.” She knelt next to the bucket and rung out a cloth. She brought it to my face. I tried to turn away. “Sit still.”

  “Unchain me and I can wash myself.” It was worth a try.

  She laughed. “That’s funny. You’re funny. But do you think I’m crazy?” She wiped my forehead with flowery smelling water.

  “Who is your boss? Is it Melinda?” I asked as she wiped my cheeks roughly.

  “I can’t tell you that. You will be meeting, um, my boss…very soon.”
She dunked the cloth in water and continued.

  “They will find me, you know. Aloysius has connections all over the city and they will come for me,” I said as she dragged the cloth from my chin to my neck.

  “I wouldn’t put too much trust in Aloysius if I were you.”

  “Why not? You don’t even know him. You’re just someone’s human servant,” I answered as she unbuttoned my shirt. I tried to push myself into the wall, trying to fade onto it.

  She looked up at me without an ounce of emotion in her eyes. She wrung out the cloth again and started wiping my chest above my bra. “I may be only a human servant, for now, but I do know some things. Let’s just say you’re putting your trust in the wrong vampires.” As her fingers reached for the button on my jeans, I stiffened.

  “That is enough. I don’t need a bath. I don’t even sweat,” I said. She looked up at me and threw the cloth into the bucket, splashing some water on both of us. She sat back on her heels and put her hands on her knees. “What do you mean you’re human for now?”

  “I won’t be human much longer. Can I fix your hair?” She reached toward my head with a tentative hand. I nodded. It couldn’t hurt to get on her good side.

  “Did they promise to turn you?” She nodded and pulled a comb out from her back pocket. I hung my head forward so she could reach the back. “They’ll say anything to get what they want from you; you know that, don’t you?”

  “But they really will. They promised. I stink at everything else. I’m a terrible hunter, I have too much compassion for your kind, they say. I have no witch powers, no job training, no family. I would make a great vampire.” She seemed so sure of herself. I hated to tell her they would most likely use her up, chew her up, and spit her out.

  “What is your name?” I asked. “I’d like to be able to call you something.”

  “I’m not supposed to tell you.”

  “I could just dig around in your head, but I’d rather not.” I didn’t think she knew that it wouldn’t be an easy task in my weakened state.