‘I’m on the tram at the mo.’ She was pleased with how natural she managed to make that sound. ‘You’ll find out in a bit anyway.’ She added a laugh, although it sounded fake to her ears. ‘Can you come?’
‘Yes. Yes. Of course.’
‘Excellent. I’ve got a slightly later start than normal tomorrow so it doesn’t matter how late we stay up chatting. You can stay over if you like. Have a bit of a lie in tomorrow.’
Emily knew she didn’t have to make it sound like she was talking to a human, but somehow, it felt safer that way.
‘I’m guessing you can’t talk.’
‘Yes, that’s about right. I’m nearly at my stop. Got to go. See you soon. Bye.’ Emily hung up. Definitely safer that way.
All she wanted to do was get home, and hope that nothing was going to happen.
Sixty
Lucas had been waiting outside Emily’s block when she arrived home.
‘How did you get here?’ she asked.
‘Called work to say I’d got up early and was feeling inspired so I was going to work at home. Lucky it was a miserable day really. Dark enough for me, but let’s get inside anyway.’
Lucas listened as Emily filled him in on what she knew. He crossed to the window, glared out into the night. He felt sick. He’d fed before he left, but now, less than an hour later, his body felt tight, the feed not powering his heart the way it normally did. He wanted more, and yet, he didn’t. It seemed monstrous to take blood now, now that the HeadHunter’s identity was about to be shown.
‘Are you all right?’ Emily joined him at the window, laid her head against his shoulder. He hugged her to him, gathered up her human warmth.
‘Yes. Just disappointed.’
‘Disappointed? Why?’ Emily asked. Her voice dropped as she added, ‘Were you hoping it would be a human?’
‘Yes. No. I don’t know. It’s not as simple as that. This could change everything.’
‘That’s what the HeadHunter wants, I think. The quote he’s been leaving says about …’
‘I’m not sure I want to know. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.’
They sat, hardly daring to move from the NetNews as events unfolded. At six o’ clock precisely, all programmes were interrupted for a piece on the HeadHunter. There was a statement from the Head of the Security Forces, confirming the facts, asking that all go about their business as normal, but with added vigilance. The statement ended with the obligatory, optimistic idea that this information now made the HeadHunter much easier to catch.
Lucas’s phone began to ring the second the news report had finished. It was Gabriel.
‘Have you seen the news?’ Gabriel demanded.
‘Yes. Got it on.’
‘Where are you?’ Gabriel asked.
‘At Emily’s. Where are you?’
‘At home. I’m running late. Might still head to the gallery though.’
‘Be careful if you do.’
‘Always am. The HeadHunter won’t get me.’
‘Lucas …’ Emily said.
She pulled at his arm again before he could answer Gabriel, and nodded towards NetNews once more.
She had turned the volume down low when the reporting had turned to endless speculation about the HeadHunter’s whereabouts, but Lucas hardly needed the sound to add to the horror of what he now saw.
The screen was filled with orange, yellow, red. A shifting mass of flames.
‘Gabriel, you’ve got to get out,’ Lucas muttered, hardly taking his eyes from the screen.
‘What?’
‘Get out of there. They’re setting fire to the housing blocks. Look at the NetNews. The bastards. I don’t know which block it is. I can’t tell. Get out of there now.’
‘I can see it, Lucas. I’m at the window.’
‘Which one?’
‘It’s A block. The one nearest the entry to our district. It’s lighting up the night.’
Lucas crossed to the window. He could see nothing.
Emily, realising what he was doing, rushed into the bedroom. ‘Get out of there, Gabriel. Get out. Find somewhere safe. Let me know where you are. In fact, come here, I’m sure Emily won’t mind.’
‘No way. I’m going to be needed here.’
‘Gabriel, stay safe.’
‘I will.’
‘Call me in a bit, or I’ll call you.’ Lucas said and hung up.
He moved into the bedroom now. Emily had snapped the blinds up. There. On the horizon, the unmistakable orange glow.
‘Bastards, bastards, bastards. Someone’s researched this well. They know fire is the only sure way to end us.’ Balled fists smacked against the window, as if to beat out the flames.
‘Maybe there weren’t many in. Maybe they’ll be at work,’ Emily whispered. ‘Maybe that’s why they waited until now to go public. They knew something like this might happen.’
‘Maybe. And maybe they are the ones who actually planned the attacks.’
Emily was silent for a moment, then said, ‘I’m going back to the NetNews. I’m sure the Security Forces will be there by now.’
Once she’d gone in the living room, Lucas pressed his hand to the glass of the window. Rested his forehead on it. Relished the cold. It would be chaos out there. He shut his eyes.
‘Lucas,’ Emily’s voice cut through the darkness. ‘Lucas, come here. There’s two blocks on fire.’
That made his mind up.
‘Emily, I’ve got to go.’ He stood in the bedroom doorway, could see the flames devouring his world.
‘What?’ She swung round to face him. ‘No. You can’t.’
‘I’ve got to.’
‘But Lucas, you could get hurt.’
‘I can’t stay here, Emily. That’s my friends out there. Gabriel’s there… I have to get home.’
‘But your block’s further out.’
‘It doesn’t matter. I have to get back.’
‘What about you? I need you to be safe.’ Lucas heard the tremble in her voice that tears brought. She fought them.
He closed the distance between them. Moved to kiss her. She turned her face away.
‘Emily, I have no choice.’
‘Yes. Yes, you do. The Security Forces will be there. They’ll stop it.’
‘But they’re not there, Emily. Look.’ He indicated the news screen.
‘They’re probably on their way. Just wait. Wait until it’s under control. Please.’
Lucas’s phone sprang into life once more. He glanced at the screen. It was work. He answered, spoke quickly, reassured them he was fine and hung up. Immediately, the phone began to ring again. He turned it off.
‘I’m going. Emily, I’m sorry.’
‘I’ll come with you. I’ll get my coat.’
‘No.’ Lucas failed to keep the sharp edge of horror from his voice and flinched at her recoil. ‘Emily, don’t you understand? Humans, your kind, did this to us, to my kind. You can’t come.’
She was silent a moment, her back to him.
‘But I didn’t do it. This isn’t my fault. I can’t help being human. You know I’d change it …’
‘We are not talking about that. Not now. Not ever. Don’t make this worse, Emily.’
She rounded on him.
‘Worse? Worse? How can it possibly be worse? You’re going back there. Into, into… that. You could die.’
Tears choked her final words and Lucas watched her physically crumple.
‘And so could you if you go. I can’t let you, Emily. Besides, you come with me, everyone will know you’re human. I don’t know what they’d do. I don’t know if I could protect you.’ He pulled her back to him once more. ‘And I’m fairly sure, when the Security Forces get there, any of your kind will be under serious suspicion. You can’t come.’
Emily shuddered out a sigh. ‘Please call me though. All through the night.’
He let out a low chuckle despite the urgency he felt. ‘You’ll be asleep.’
‘No. Not until
everything’s safe. And I don’t care if you do wake me up. I need to know you’re all right.’
‘I’ll be fine.’
‘Don’t take any risks.’
Lucas laughed softly and this time she didn’t turn away from his kiss. ‘I won’t take any unnecessary risks, will that do?’
Emily looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes once more. ‘Do you promise?’
‘I promise.’ He kissed her again, trying to put every tiny part of what he felt for her into it. ‘You’re the best reason I’ve ever had for staying alive. I’m not going to jeopardise that.’
She nodded through tears that now spilled onto her cheeks. Lucas brushed them away with his thumbs.
‘I love you,’ he said.
‘And I love you too.’
‘I’ll call. Every hour.’
‘If you don’t, I’ll call you,’ Emily said.
He kissed her again and moved to get his coat.
‘Come back here if you need to. You and anyone else. I know there’s not much space, but …’
‘I’ll do my best. I’ll get back. If I can.’ Lucas didn’t add that somehow he knew the Security Forces would be far more forceful in their monitoring of vampire movements from now on. He didn’t need to say it. He could tell from the haunted look in Emily’s eyes that she already knew it too.
Sixty One
The only move Emily made from the sofa all night was to fetch her duvet. The NetNews was horrifically mesmerizing. Three vampire housing blocks were blazing, but the multi-angle coverage served to intensify the scale, so it appeared all the blocks were afire.
‘It’s not near Lucas. It’s not near Lucas,’ had been her whispered mantra for the first hour or so. Then, once the Security Forces had finally appeared, and brought with them the Fire Division, she allowed herself to breathe, a little more easily at least.
When Lucas had called, he’d had little to say, but had reassured her that he was safe. He’d refused her offer to return to hers, and she hadn’t pushed it. He was safe; that was enough for now.
The news reports claimed that near to two hundred vampires had been ended. They hadn’t even given them the dignity of using the word ‘dead’, Emily thought angrily.
‘The Security Forces have placed a tight cordon around the vampire housing district to prevent retaliation from those who remain here. All trams have been stopped across the city. There is an increased Security Force presence within all districts. Anyone seen on the streets will be under suspicion and will be arrested if deemed necessary.’
The reporter stood by the entrance to the vampire housing district. Behind him was still a background of orange which flickered between row upon row of Security Forces officers. All had helmets, all wore the same non-expression. They could have been robots.
Snatching at her phone as it began to ring, she saw with disappointment, that it was Simon. Would he know something that Lucas didn’t? Something helpful?
‘Yes?’ She wasn’t going to be polite though.
‘Emily, you’re all right?’
‘Fine.’
‘Where are you?’ Simon asked.
‘I’m at home.’
‘Good. Promise me you’ll stay there, you won’t try to go to help.’
She couldn’t read the tone of his voice.
‘I already promised Lucas.’
‘Oh.’
‘He’s fine, just in case you were hoping he’d burnt up.’
‘That’s not fair.’
‘As if you care.’
‘Well, no, I don’t. Don’t care about him. I care about you though, Emily. And I know you care about him. Make sure he stays out of town, if he’s not there already.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it’s going to kick off here any minute.’
‘Here? Where are you?’
‘Entertainment District. There’s a big group of suckers on their way to find us. It’s happening all over the city. Everyone’s picking sides.’
‘But the news said the Security Forces were setting tight barriers …’
‘There seem to be rather a lot of ways round them.’
‘You should report it. Stop this.’
‘No way. There are plenty of us humans. I’ve got to go. Stay at home Emily and keep Lucas away.’
Emily sat and stared at her phone. What should she do? Call the Security Forces? Call Lucas? Yes. She pressed his number. The phone rang, then went straight to answer phone. She ended the call. Tried again. The same.
She stood. Paced to the window, eyes never leaving the news screen, phone clutched tight, just in case. She paced back to the sofa. Turned the volume up and went into the kitchen to make tea. Anything to fill up time.
As she waited for the kettle, she realised she was being stupid. Why was she pretending to wait? She called again. Answer phone. Again. This time she left a message.
‘Hi. It’s me. Had a call from Simon. He says it’s getting violent in town too. Stay where you are. It’s dangerous enough there. Please, Lucas. Call me when you can.’ She hung up before fear cracked her voice. She flung the phone onto the work top.
Taking the tea she now didn’t want back to the sofa, she sat once more. The NetNews was still focussing on the housing district. No new news for now. She stared at her phone. Implored Lucas to call.
He would call, she rationalised, almost certainly if she was already on the phone. She picked it up. Was she going to call the Security Forces? Let them know what Simon had said? It might save lives on both sides. She dialled, still desperately listening for a beep to interrupt her to tell her that she had an incoming call.
‘You have reached the Security Forces. Leave your message please.’
Emily took the phone away from her ear. Leave a message? What was wrong with everyone?
‘Hello. I’ve been informed that there’s going to be some sort of violence, clash, fight, I don’t know. Something. Something bad. In the Entertainment District. Now. It might already have started. Please send help.’
And there it was – the beep she had been hoping for. It would be Lucas, she knew it would. She ended the call to the Security Forces, and accepted the incoming one.
‘Are you okay?’ She asked instantly.
‘Yes. I’m fine.’
Emily frowned. It was a female voice. She took the phone from her ear to look at the display. Amanda. She refocused.
‘Is your flat okay?’
‘So far. The block next door is burning so they’ve evacuated us.’
‘That’s awful. Where are you?’
‘Donation Centre. That’s where they’ve put us all. There’s some here with nothing left.’
‘Oh, Amanda, I don’t even know what to say.’
‘At least they got out.’
‘I suppose so.’
Amanda hesitated, before saying,
‘Emily, do you think Bernstein knew this was going to happen? Do you think that’s why he sacked us? So we’d be at home?’
Emily was silent. It hadn’t even occurred to her. She answered slowly.
‘I don’t know.’
‘If he did, Emily, that’s murder.’
Emily could not reply. If Bernstein had known, had Simon known? ‘Nothing’s going to be the same tomorrow,’ Amanda said.
‘I know. Keep in touch. We don’t have to change, just because everything else has.’
‘I will.’
‘Keep safe.’
‘I will. You too.’
Had Simon known? Now that the thought was there, she couldn’t just leave it. She called Simon.
‘Did you know?’ she demanded.
‘What?’
‘Did you know about the attacks on the housing blocks? Is that why all our vampire staff were dismissed?’
‘No. I swear. How could you even think that?’
Emily could hear shouting in the background; she ignored it and pressed on. ‘What about Bernstein?’
‘No. He might not like the vamp
s but he wouldn’t have done that. He didn’t know, Emily.’
Her brain told her to accept what he was saying, not to fight it.
‘I’ve called the Security Forces, you know.’
‘What?’
‘Told them what’s going to happen, where you are.’
‘Won’t make any difference. This is happening. You must be able to hear it.’
‘It might help,’ Emily insisted.
‘It won’t. No Security Forces in sight here.’
‘Can’t you just go home?’ Emily asked.
‘No.’
‘Just… just be careful.’
‘Emily, you aren’t worried about me are you?’ She made no reply. ‘No need. No vamp’s going to take my life, I can promise you that.’
The noise in the background was growing louder.
‘Get out of there, Simon.’
‘I’ll see you, Emily.’ He hung up.
Emily sat back on the sofa. Amanda was right. Nothing was going to be the same. She gave in to the tears. Where was Lucas?
She looked up as the NetNews reporter announced a change of scene.
‘Violent clashes are being reported all over the city as groups of vampires begin to retaliate.’
Pictures now, from the Retail District, the Entertainment District. More groups, bricks and bottles thrown, buildings smashed into, glass everywhere. Anger filling the air. News teams could get to these areas quickly enough, yet the Security Forces were again, obviously absent.
Her phone rang. She gazed at it, almost in disbelief. It was Lucas. At last.
‘Hi, it’s …’
‘Are you okay? Tell me you’re okay?’
‘Emily, it’s Gabriel.’
‘What? Where’s Lucas? Why have you got his phone? What’s happened?’
‘Slow down. Nothing’s happened.’ Emily bit her lip to stop the tears as Gabriel continued. ‘Lucas is just with another friend of ours, whose block is near the damaged ones. Lucas is helping him shift his belongings.’
‘Is your friend alright?’
‘Yes – just about. He’s run all the way back from where he works in the Retail District. Not much shopping going on apparently.’
‘No. Did Lucas get my message do you know? About what Simon said?’
Symbiosis: A Vampire Psycho-Thriller Page 34