‘I swear an oath of secrecy. I don’t think I’ll be pursuing any women for a while.’ He laughed. ‘Send me a text when you get home,’ he added as she got onto the tram. She nodded and waved and then the doors were shut and he was gone.
Emily sat back in her seat. What had he meant by that last comment about chasing women? Had it been a subtle warning – that he wasn’t available? What did it mean? Emily twirled a strand of hair around her gloved fingers. Thoughts of her hair led her to her new hat. She pulled it off. It was a great hat. Knitted, with lots of different patterns, and just a hint of glitter. A perfect hat. And that had to mean something.
Forty
Bernstein’s going to send a memo. Any minute now. To everyone.
The message flashed onto her screen. Emily hadn’t been aware that Simon could send highest priority level messages, those that were allowed to interrupt any on-screen procedure. She’d been in the middle of trying to project the revenue for the following week’s edition. Not strictly her job, but interesting none the less. She could have done without the interruption.
Any minute now. He’s going to tell you to call Amanda, the vampire version of you.
Emily wanted to continue to ignore him. Wanted to get this done, wanted to get home to see if there were any messages from Lucas. Maybe even one about where he was taking her. Although reluctant, she sent back: Why?
Something’s going to happen at the anti-RAGE demo the vamps are holding instead of going to work like the good little blood suckers they’re supposed to be. The demo complaining about what RAGE wrote after Rachel’s death.
After reading that, she flashed him a look across the room, knowing she’d see a fairly smug expression on his face. What did give her a certain degree of satisfaction though, was that Simon was wrong about the memo, the contents at least. When it came, it demanded a full staff meeting, of whoever was in the building in the coffee lounge.
‘Bernstein must be really up for this,’ Simon whispered as he dutifully filed into the lounge next to her. ‘I don’t remember him ever calling a meeting like this before.’
Keeping people waiting was a tactic often employed by their boss, Emily reflected. Simon had headed to the front of the room. She stood with the rest of the advertising team. Despite it being handover time, the humans still outnumbered their vampire counterparts as they all waited. Most were murmuring about the purpose of the meeting, many figuring whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. There were probably about forty staff there, Emily guessed looking around her, all different departments too.
Exactly five minutes after the meeting was supposed to start, Bernstein swept into the room. People parted for him. Once he was at the front, he scraped a plastic chair towards him and stood on it. That was all it took for the room to fall silent. Emily suddenly felt chilled. The air seemed charged. This wasn’t going to be good.
‘People. Tonight no one is leaving the building.’ There were mutters, a few exchanged looks. A stare from Bernstein halted that. ‘Two reasons. One – it’s not safe out there. Two – and most importantly – there is going to be an edition of this newspaper published tonight. Hard copy and on the Net.’ He paused to let that sink in.
Emily felt her heart quicken, her shiver deepen. What was he expecting to happen?
‘Thanks to a tip off from Simon Jones, our lead Investigative Journalist,’ Bernstein directed a nod at Simon, who, Emily could see was trying to look grave and serious, but couldn’t help but bask in this praise. He continued. ‘The planned demonstration by our vampire community this evening is possibly going to be infiltrated by members of RAGE.’
‘That’s not on. The demonstration’s going to be peaceful. We’ve gone through the proper channels. It’s been approved. Freedom of speech and all that.’ Emily couldn’t see the speaker. ‘We should let someone know. The Security Forces surely.’
‘We’ll be doing no such thing.’ Bernstein snapped. ‘Wouldn’t dream of stopping anyone having their say. Anyone from the vampire side of life who’s here now, stays here. You made the correct decision coming to work early tonight. Any human whose vampire colleague has yet to show up is to call them and tell them to remain at home. Anyone who knows someone taking part in the demonstration is, of course, free to try to warn them – obviously there’s no guarantee that they’ll believe you. As we’ve already been reminded, this is a fully organised protest. All legal and patrolled by the Security Forces. And, if you do know anyone out there, we’ll need them for interviews later.’
There were a few shakes of heads, shuffling of feet, but no further comments from the floor. Emily wasn’t sure she was prepared to believe all this. The Security Forces wouldn’t allow anything unplanned to happen. That was even if anyone from RAGE bothered to show up. Volume and issue numbers it might have, but for all anyone knew, it was only put together by a handful of people, and, she was sure, certainly not enough to outnumber the vampires that were protesting. It would all turn out to be nothing.
‘So, to be clear: No one leaves until the edition is done. Now, make any calls you need to, then the time is your own until the journos come back with our stories.’
Emily wondered if Bernstein was going to send the journalists off now, with some sort of fanfare, but his spiel continued along the lines of a moment of triumph for the paper, further their rise to the top levels of journalistic pride. He concluded the meeting by announcing that food would be provided for the duration, and then sent them away.
Simon caught her as she was leaving the room. He glanced at his watch.
‘You’d better call Amanda. She should be leaving in a few minutes. Rumour is the Security Forces are going to be stopping the trams at six anyway. Stop any more protestors arriving.’
‘Good. That’ll keep the RAGE people away too. No trouble then. I can’t really believe that anything’s going to happen. The vampires are right to protest about what RAGE wrote about Rachel’s death. There was no evidence at all that it was done by a vampire.’
‘What – no evidence other than the bite marks on her neck?’
‘They weren’t bite marks. They were puncture wounds. And no missing blood. I was there, remember?’
She made to move off.
‘This is going to happen, Emily. My sources are reliable on this one.’
Walking back into the office, Emily was surprised to see almost everyone on phones. Either office lines, calling colleagues as instructed, or on mobiles. She stared around her in wonder for a few seconds and then felt the atmosphere begin to infect her. A slow spread of awareness chilled her. They believed this. Everyone. She felt the cold grip her insides. She hugged her arms around herself and tried to cling on to the hope that she was right, and they were wrong.
It turned out that Amanda had had no intention of going to work that evening anyway.
‘I know it was wrong, what they wrote in that RAGE thing, but I’m staying here tonight.’ Amanda paused. ‘I was going to call in sick, at least now I won’t have to. I don’t want to protest, but I don’t want to get caught up in anything either, don’t want to be pressured, told I’m letting the side down or anything. We all got sent the details, but honestly Emily, it’s right there in the Entertainment District. At Moonshine of course.’
‘Of course,’ Emily echoed.
‘Let me know if there’s anything I can do here. I’ll be by the phone. Might keep an eye on the Net too. I’m sure everything will be fine though – and I’m going to enjoy my evening off.’
‘Thanks for that. All the usual work will still be here for you tomorrow, I’m afraid. Tonight is strictly special edition.’
‘I know, I know. I’ll see you for handover as usual then. Unless the world ends tonight.’
‘I’ll be seeing you tomorrow,’ Emily said and hung up.
She turned back to her desk. She supposed she could actually begin pulling in potential advertisers now, especially if things did get nasty later – they’d be shutting the doors of the clubs fairly swift
ly.
‘You’ve called Amanda then,’ Simon crouched in next to her.
‘Just following Bernstein’s instructions,’ she shrugged.
‘I’m off in a minute.’
‘I’ll see you later.’ Emily looked down at him, and didn’t like the excitement she saw.
‘Aren’t you going to tell me to be careful, not to get hurt, that sort of thing?’
‘No. Nothing’s going to happen.’
‘You should say it anyway, just in case,’ Simon insisted.
‘I’m sure it’s not necessary.’
‘We’ll see. You should still say it though.’
‘Okay, okay, be careful. Don’t get hurt,’ Emily said.
‘I won’t. See you later.’ He gave her a nod, like a soldier about to do his duty, and then left.
People around her were still making calls, mainly on mobiles now, she noted. More personal calls. She checked her watch. Sadie would be at home by now. Maybe she’d just send her a message.
What about Lucas? Perhaps she should check he was on his way home too. He’d have to go through the Entertainment District on the tram to get home from where he worked. If they really were going to stop the trams, he might get stuck. She had to call him. Simon had gone; she was safe. She had to. Just in case definitely applied here.
‘Hi. It’s Emily.’ Her heart was beating too rapidly it seemed. She was glad Lucas’s number was stored in her phone. Her fingers had been rendered clumsy, simply by the thought of calling him.
‘Hi! It’s good to hear from you.’
‘Where are you?’ Emily asked.
‘I’m on the tram. Is everything all right?’
‘It is if you’re on the tram.’
‘What’s the matter? Where are you?’
‘At work. Still. Look – I might be about to make an enormous fool of myself, but I just wanted to check you’re okay. We’re on some sort of over-the-top lock down here. Until the vampire demonstration is over.’
‘Yes. I’d heard about the protest.’
‘Apparently it’s going to be spoiled by RAGE. The very thing they’re having to protest against. I just thought I’d warn you, that’s all.’
‘Thanks. Are you all right? You sound kind of stressed.’
‘I wasn’t planning on spending most of the evening at work, not after being here all day as well,’ Emily admitted.
‘I can understand that,’ Lucas said.
‘I’d better go.’
‘Thanks for the warning. Maybe I can give you a call tomorrow?’
‘That’d be great,’ Emily replied.
She hung up, relieved that he hadn’t thought her mad, and that he was safely on the tram home. Now all she had to do was wait.
*
Lucas knew as soon as he stepped off the tram that this was going to be anything but safe. The air was tingle-charged. He knew about the protest, of course he knew. All of his kind did. He knew too that Emily had assumed he was on his way home on the tram, not on his way to work. Which meant she assumed that he was her kind. That was something he needed to sort, but not tonight. He looked around him. Everyone had been let off the tram. ‘Service terminated’ was all the information the Security Forces had announced. That was the first thing that wasn’t right.
His fellow passengers had generally splintered into whatever groups they’d travelled with. Some he overheard determining to get to work, despite the lack of transport, some deciding to get inside the nearest bar and stay there. Most of the humans, from what he gathered from their snatches of conversation, didn’t really know what the fuss was over. Did they even care?
When Lucas had received his message about the protest, it had made him wonder whether to join them. But, equally, he’d seen attempts like this before. Not often, but he had. It always went the same way too. The demonstration would happen. And then, as ever, nothing would change.
Just as he was about to head across the Entertainment District and begin the long walk to the office, his mobile rang once more.
‘Gabriel, hi.’
‘I hope you’re on your way to Moonshine mate,’ Gabriel said.
‘I wasn’t actually.’
‘Why the hell not? I shut the gallery ages ago. It’s brilliant. You should get here.’
Lucas could hear shouting. He wasn’t sure if it was coming from down the phone or from behind him. He turned around, slowly. He was alone. That unsettled him a little, but he did not move.
‘Where are you?’ he asked Gabriel.
‘Right outside Moonshine. There must be about two, three hundred here, humans too, which is good of them, don’t you think? I’ve never seen anything like it. There’s banners, chanting. You really should come. You were at the scene of the crime after all. What RAGE reported was total rubbish. I’ll meet you. Where?’
‘I’m not coming.’
‘You have to. It’s our kind, standing up for themselves. You have to. Besides – a bit of anarchy is fun. Someone’s even here handing out free drinks. Come on. Give me a ring when you get near Moonshine.’
He hung up before Lucas could reply further, or even share Emily’s warning. Not that it sounded like anything was going to happen, if it was the way Gabriel was describing. Gabriel probably wouldn’t want to know anyway. He would send a message. Then it was up to Gabriel what he did. That way he wouldn’t have to explain how he’d got his information either. He wasn’t ready to share yet.
Lucas began to walk. He supposed he had to pass close to Moonshine anyway; there was a shortcut. It was eerie, he had to admit that. There were never so few people around in the Entertainment District. He kept looking around, expecting life to begin again, for more people to get off the tram, for a drunken group to spill out of a club. To see a club with a queue outside would have at least been reassuring. His footsteps were overly loud.
He rounded a corner, and then, the shouting got louder and organised itself into the chanting that Gabriel was no doubt loving being part of. Lucas was approaching the heart of Entertainment District.
Only when he stood on the edge of that hub, did he see. It was full. It halted him, the sight of so many of his kind all together. There was some movement in the ocean of people in front of him. The air just above head-height was filled with banners, demanding the end of RAGE, but Gabriel was right. A protest it might have been, but there was little anger behind it. It was like a party, a carnival. Even the chant seemed more like a song. It too called for RAGE to be shut down – but there was no vehemence in it. Little conviction, if Lucas was honest. A polite protest. The apprehension of his journey diminished, and he moved forward to join with his own, just for once. He’d leave finding Gabriel for a bit.
The press of people became denser the closer he got to Moonshine. His senses, like everyone’s around him, he supposed, began to clog. The warmth of the bodies, sweat, the high note of adrenaline, the masculine voice of the crowd, made up of hundreds, moulded into one. It increased as he got closer and closer to the front.
Here, he did breathe in the sharp scent of anger. Here, it was different. There was genuine hatred building now. The chant was meaner. Arms punched the air. He was shoved. This was not right. By a human. He wanted to reach for his phone. Warn Gabriel. But, it was too loud. Shouts, incoherent except for their hard tone cut across the chants. Where were the Security Forces?
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He spun. Expected Gabriel, someone he knew at the very least. But, instead, he looked into the face of the devil. White, ghostly. Fangs dripping with the reddest blood. Not real. A plastic face. A mask. All hidden beneath a black hood, black robes. He backed away. There was nowhere to go. The crowd was too solid. The figure threw back its head. It was laughing. At him? No. At all of them.
He pushed through the crowd. Another robed figure. And another. They were everywhere. He knew he had to get out. Where were the Security Forces?
The crowd was unified, but the masked intruders cut, pushed, hacked their way through it. Lucas
saw a girl thrown to the floor. A kick to her face sent blood gushing. He tried to get to her, but more vampires spilled forward into the gap she left. She was carried with them.
His head was filled with the noise of it. He smelt more blood. Lots of it. His stomach clenched. The scent pulled at him. And if he felt that way, so did everyone. Then, another black robe. Bottle in hand. Raised. Thrown through the air, its contents pure red. Pure blood. And there’d be more. Whoever the missile hit would bleed too.
There was screaming now. The chant, the banners, were still there, but the protest had changed. It was biting at its members, turning on those who had given it life. Lucas felt someone grab at his coat, claw their way onto him. He pulled away. He couldn’t get dragged down. Still, he bent, to help up the vampire that had grabbed him – only to be pushed away with a snarl.
Lucas gave himself up, became one with the mob once more. It was the only way to survive. He did as they did. Moved with them. Heard more bottles smash, more screams, more anger. He was lost to it.
*
Emily and her colleagues were back in the coffee room. One of the tech team had set up a screen so they could see the live coverage on the Net. Emily hadn’t joined them at first. Dismissed it as nothing to see. But she’d gone in eventually. There was a rumour that the protest would spill out, would move from the Entertainment District. That it would come here, destroy the wealth of the Business District. They were safe, someone reassured her as she entered. Bernstein had all the doors locked. Security Forces officers had appeared outside and were also apparently containing what was now being referred to as a riot.
Pressing her hand to her mouth, her eyes glued to the images on the screen, all Emily could think, over and over, was ‘Simon was right. He was right.’
The pictures from above showed a crowd that seemed to have turned on itself. There were no battle lines. No clear enemies. Just one big mess of people. Close-ups showed blood. And, lots of Security Forces. Guarding the perimeter of the Entertainment District, but apparently doing little else.
Symbiosis: A Vampire Psycho-Thriller Page 20