Second Genesis

by Eric Williams

  He heard the call for the Omegas and Deltas. This time, it was room 75G. That was new. They normally met in room 25.

  The Aeonians in Xairin’s vampire group were herded like cattle down the white sterile hallways, while wearing scrubs that matched the decor. Room 75G was almost like another auditorium. Xairin felt it odd.

  The room wasn’t as sterile and had bleachers. Xairin sat down, with the six hundred other vampires that had been clustered in. He noticed nine men, in business suits, enter the room. He could tell they were vampires also, their scent gave it away. They were older though, not from his recent emerging brethren, but the older ones.

  He saw a man that had a grey streak in his black hair. The man looked thirty something, so the streak surprised Xairin. He began calling Vampires by name and telling them to go to additional rooms when their names were called. “What the hell is going on now?” He said under his breath, as did so many others.

  Xairin sat there for almost four hours before they got to his name. He was asked to go to room 907H along with 36 other vampires. He felt like they were being handpicked into teams for some odd reason.

  Xairin and the 36 others followed behind a droid that led them into a large elevator that could fit the flock of vamps. The slender droid took them up seven floors, and then down three separate hallways until finally arriving at room 907H which reminded Xairin of a high school class room. It even had metal desks with oval shaped seats for him and his peers to sit in.

  The desks had tablets waiting on the class. A holoemmiter beamed the names of those present, clearly assigned seating was in order. Xairin took his seat near the far left of the room near the back. He looked around, saw the fake windows, to give some feeling of comfort. Xairin guessed it helped make living under ground more tolerable having such artificial additions.

  The front of the room had a large metal desk, that quickly had a resident take up its use as a young handsome brown-haired man entered the room, wearing casual attire, jeans, a red t-shirt and sneakers. He placed a metal briefcase on the desk and fixed his healthy wavy hair. He turned around and leaned up against the desk, right as the door to the room descended downward. His voice was strong, a little effeminate, but strong. “My name is Ethan Holiday. Commander Ethan Holiday if you want to get technical. I am a scientist for the Galactic-corps, and an Alpha vampire. I have already learned each of your names from the patient listings, that and of course, the assigned seating helps.”

  Ethan walked a few steps forward and crossed his arms. “I won’t waste any of your time. I am sure many of you are bored to death with those cheesy videos they’ve been forcing on you, so here it is. “I am an Alpha vampire, and a resident of Bastion City. Each of you have been assigned to my governorship and possibly join my own nest. I will be your personal contact when each of you are released from Quarantine unless of course you enter Alpha morphology when one of our extermination squads kill the bat that bit you, if that happens, you will be reassigned. Those of you that would join my nest, you can report to my nest’s nesting site instead of the embassy, those that won’t, you will have to meet with me once per month at your assigned Society of Night Embassy.” He walked over to the desk and picked up a tablet. He pressed a few keys and brought up pictures of each one in the class and began speaking again. “As the videos have indicated, each of you will have to report to a Society of Night Embassy that have been set up in most cities and townships, unless you report to a nest. Like I mentioned, you can either meet me there, or we will meet at the embassy once per month, so I can check in with you, see how you’re adjusting, and go from there.” He looked around the room at each face glaring at him. “Normally, when an immortal is assimilated, the one who created them, their sire, would act in the capacity that I will be taking up.” He seemed to look at Xairin for a moment, before shifting his focus to others. “So… class. Basically, each person in this specific class will essentially become your nest mates, or function as close to that as possible. Get to know one another, it will help make things easier as things progress. So, for starters, let's review what those corny ass videos covered on how to be a vampire and citizen of the Society, shall we?”

  Ethan lurked about the room. He seemed to be stalking the weakest links in the bunch, the ones that clearly didn’t pay attention to the videos they had been forced to watch. He seemed to hover over a woman that looked a little annoyed. Xairin felt like he was being forced to join an AA group or something to that effect the way things were going. As for the woman Ethan hovered behind. Xairin looked at the woman with dark short hair as she turned her head upward. “Yes?”

  Ethan smiled. “You, miss Piedmont, what happens if you attempt to sire a corpse?”

  The woman rolled her brown eyes. “It comes back as something else. A zombie.”

  Ethan smirked as he walked to the front of the class while spouting. “We call them ghouls.” He turned around and looked at everyone slowly. “Ghouls are as fast as a human when they are fresh. They don't stop, they don’t tire out, they just keep on going until they get blood to freshen themselves. They can even regenerate to limited degrees. They also are all Betas, and every time they bite, they infect, got it?”

  Ethan continued. “Ghouls are unlike us in every way. They are, essentially the reanimated dead. The bioelectrical currents generated by any Aeon Strain based life form, can jolt the tissues, providing electrical stimulus so that the ghoul can perform is functions. Unlike us, their assimilation cells seek out bone marrow opposed to cardiac tissue to begin conversion. Is everyone following so far?”

  Ethan smirked. He noticed a few in the class nod, Xairin being one of them. “The humanized craving for the zombie apocalypse isn’t as farfetched as some would think. All it takes is one ghoul to go around feeding. They crave human blood, and human blood alone, regardless of what Immortium made them. Understand?” He again waited. Xairin and nine others seemed intent.

  “A ghoul plague has been thwarted several times in the past by our kind being watch guards over the ages. The creation of such creatures is also forbidden. But know this, if any in this room would dare try, know that every immortal faction would hunt the one responsible. As an Alpha’s death results in the rise of Betas coming into power, the death of one who created a ghoul, ends the ghoul line. They are psychically linked to the creator’s existence. Kill the one responsible, and all the ghouls spawned from that immortal begin to disintegrate. Also, the progenitor of a ghoul outbreak, is the one humanoid the ghouls will not try and eat. A ghoul will try to eat you, just as it would a human, for we used to be human, it's in our DNA. But… Like I said. Kill the progenitor and the ghoul line dies along with the immortal responsible. We’ve never truly understood why…”

  Ethan’s voice picked up authority while he looked around the room filled with curious faces. “If a ghoul outbreak would occur, and I hate to say this, but the scavengers that opt for less civilized surroundings, won’t receive the education each of you are acquiring. So... If a ghoul outbreak should occur, we each must do our part in stopping it. It is an Immortium’s duty, to kill a ghoul progenitor once they have been confirmed guilty. Does everyone understand?”

  He watched the room nod. “This is important everyone. Highly important. These, scavengers, the humans that choose to live outside civilized domains, they’re not getting the education you all are, and some ghoul activity has already been reported. It is our duty, to stop a ghoul plague at all costs.”

  Ethan slowly looked around. He could tell the gravity hadn’t fully set in yet about ghouls, so he figured he would at least move on to the next issue and revisit it later.

  “So. On to the next rule. Each of you are either an Omega or a Delta, when you evolve into a caste that have assimilation glands, you will report it to me, and upgrade your civilian file. Also, should any of you evolve, remember if you turn someone, it must be consensual and again reported to the Society of Night, along with you being held responsible for anything anyone you turn would do, got it
?”

  Xairin squinted his eyes and raised his hand. “What do you mean, we are responsible?”

  Ethan smirked while looking right at Xairin. If you turn a human into a vampire Mr. Thunder, and that vampire you created, killed humans and caused issues for our kind, or let's revisit the ghoul scenario. The vampire you made, created a ghoul, you are responsible for cleaning up your spawn’s mess… It is your responsibility, to teach any vampire you create, how to be a vampire, what our laws and rules are.” he looked around the room. “This is a new age for all Immortium and Aeonian alike. We are living side by side with humans. We can’t allow a deviant to tarnish this relationship. All it takes is a few bad eggs to ruin it for the majority. Look at history if you need additional verification to that statement. Does everyone understand?”

  He waited till everyone nodded. “Now, let's talk briefly about feeding. The Society of Night is working alongside The World Health Organization to assure each of you receive basically as the humans call it, nutrition therapy. You will each receive cloned blood, mailed to your place of residence. In addition to that, cloned animal blood is also being offered in most grocery stores that have a vampire population registered nearby. Again, the reason for knowing your place of residence. That way, when you move to a new city or township, local grocery stores will automatically be updated that their vampire population has increased, the same thing happens when a Beta or Alpha turns someone, get it?” He again stalled. “We can’t afford to have hungry vampires going around biting people. He began his lurking movements again. “Animal blood, such as rat blood will nourish you if you’re out and about and see one scurrying around, feel free to help the city out by having a free meal. If you go beyond the gates of Bastion City, again, animal blood works just as well as human blood, sometimes better given a human’s diet, so please, try your best to refrain from eating people.”

  A tall thin man sitting behind Xairin raised his hand quickly and blurted before being acknowledged. “Why are we going over this? I mean really? Why? Of course, we know we shouldn’t try to get blood directly from humans, for one, we could kill someone, and two, it's common sense. Besides those videos were pretty fucking clear on that aspect.”

  Ethan folded his arms and looked at the man sitting there. He took a second to take in the man’s thin build, and high cheekbones. He saw the man fiddle with his curly blond hair for a moment as if he was getting anxious. Ethan detested the way the man spoke so casually and rudely, he hated cussing. “Mr. Hawkins, I have been a vampire since 2010. I have seen vampires kill humans in dark alleys, all the way to being brazen enough to seeing church confessional booths being a crime scene, you need to anticipate your hunger for blood. Not to mention, all it will take Mr. Hawkins is a few bad apples to ruin this cohabitation effort for all of us. Get it?”

  Ethan looked at Hawkins as he scoffed at the Alpha. His pompous attitude prompted Ethan to swell with a disdain in his glare. He quickly erupted into a rant. “Every person in this room with myself being the exception, are what we vampires call, an original immortal, a source. In my day, original vampires were rare, very rare. They had no one to teach them what they were, or how to exist alongside humans, so count your blessings. Cause let me stress one thing, and one thing above all. If any of you were to feed on a human and kill them, human nature will muster up the preconceived notions that we are all monsters and draw out those who would do us harm… HUNTERS!” He waited for a moment before uttering. “Monster hunters are real” That statement got everyone's attention. “I have seen vampire hunters in the flesh. I even lost my husband to one such devolved ass who thought our kind a blight on humanity all because the local vamps decided to start eating the locals. My mate was a thrall, human and vampire relationships were forbidden once, I had to enthrall my husband so that he could be with me, only to lose him to a hunter. That hunter tortured my mate, gutted him open like a deer in the woods, all in an effort to get my poor Daniel to spill the beans on where I was so he could kill me next. I am not anxious to see history repeating itself in any way.”

  Xairin looked up at Ethan with his jaw dropped, as did others in the class. As for Mr. Hawkins, his piffling way of looking at the issue melted away into shame. It hadn’t dawned on anyone in the room, what vampires and other immortals had to endure in the past. Now it seemed all the legends had truth to them. Hearing the man speak about being hunted and the fate of his lover opened pathways to thoughts many hadn’t even considered even once. Including Xairin.

  Ethan persisted in his lecture walking around the room, further ingraining his lesson. “Don’t any of you dare think for a single second that the majority of humankind are so evolved that they won't try and kill you or even those you care about.” He looked at the thin man who spurred his rant. “Mob mentality is a powerful thing...” He seemed to look at Xairin next when he continued on his soapbox. “Don’t ever entertain such folly to think these humans are so civilized just because you used to be one, or the fact that it's 2118. Human preconceptions of what they do not understand always build up like a dam that eventually bursts onto our populace at large.”

  Ethan taunted the class. He had been around long enough to see more than his fair share of human events leading into vicious loops. He took out his frustrations as his voice carried loudly. “I have lived for over a hundred years. I have seen human prejudices lurk their way into the present more than I care to recall. I have seen people abused, murdered, and all for what? Human prejudices! I have seen everything from oppressive acts ladened in religious babble, to the onslaught of innocents, all in the name of lesser ideologies, political agendas and good ole fashioned hand me down hate.” Ethan glared at the room. “Take World War III and IV for example. Do not be naive.”

  That line, “hand me down hate,” resonated with Xairin. It drudged up a split-second flash of what happened in the sewer before the bat arrived. He looked over to his left at the wall with a whimpering expression.

  Ethan didn’t pay any attention to Xairin looking to the side. He simply kept his focus on the glass as a whole and offered a slight grin as he watched the room’s facial expressions turn grim. “Right now, each and every emerging immortal in these. Quarantine facilities await release within the coming days. What many of you don’t know, is that the immortals that have been around for a while, those of us that dared to come out of hiding, many of us have already experienced human bias. England, France, and even here in North America, immortals have been evicted for simply being classed as non-human. Immortals dining in public, treated like lepers… Do not give them reason to compromise our kind further… Understand?” He looked around patiently. He waited until each head nodded before uplifting his harshened mood to something filled with a more somber tone.

  “Are there any questions thus far?”

  No one seemed to want to raise a hand at that inquiry. Xairin however pondered something. He raised his hand. “These ghouls you’re telling us about, is it really true, if you kill the immortal that made them?”

  Before his words could crest his lips in completion, Ethan crossed his arms and interrupted. “I have seen it with my own eyes. A ghoul plague nearly broke out in London once. The very moment, the vampire responsible died, the ghouls began to turn into gooey puddles. It is true, and fact.”

  Xairin was curious. “Then why take a chance in creating them in the first place?”

  Ethan rolled his eyes. “Just as an Alpha can control their Betas and underlings, so can the creator of a ghoul, control a few ghouls. The problem with ghouls however is they have no control over their glands like we do. Sure, a Beta might be able to control five or six, maybe ten or more depending on age, and of course an Alpha having greater control, but eventually you have more ghouls than you can assert your willpower over. When that happens, packs of ghouls go running unchecked. The only way to be sure and end the plague is to kill the one who sired them.”

  Ethan looked at Xairin curiously. “Will there be any more questions on the subject?” X
airin shook his head.

  “Good, let's move on. Back to the issue at hand, feeding.”

  The man walked to the door and pressed the hand print module to open it. He went out of the room for a second and returned with a cart that he was rolling in. Xairin regained himself while the sounds of the squeaky wheels irritated everyone with heightened hearing. It reminded Xairin of a medical cart of sorts. It was white and had drawers that could be pulled out. Once the door sealed, he wheeled it to his desk. “Inside these drawers are vials of cloned animal blood. Sheep, pig, and cow, so please, help yourselves to a refreshment, just make sure to try each type, that way you can get an idea of what other animals taste like.”

  Ethan then sported a smug look.

  Xairin watched as everyone went up and open the drawers and got a few vials. It was his turn. He was slow to move, but once he stood he walked up and inspected the selection. Each vial was labeled with the animal and the blood type, printed on the tubes. He grabbed the pigs blood, B-, and went for cow O- and then lamb A+ and returned to his seat. Everyone was popping the red caps off the tubes and giving the contents a try. Xairin followed suit while Ethan watched the room carefully.

  The pigs blood he saved for last, he decided to try the cattle blood first. The cows blood was bitter, very bitter, it made his mouth go dry and his lips pucker. “BLUHAH!” Others didn’t care for it either, making similar expressions, while some seemed to like it. Xairin hoped the lambs blood tasted great cause this stuff needed to be washed down with a chaser. It did thankfully. He sighed. That bitter taste persisted. “God, I hope this washes it down.” He mumbled. He popped the top to the pig’s blood and found it surprisingly tasty. It reminded him of the taste of the cloned human blood the vampires were getting. The quantity in the vial wasn’t enough to get the cows blood down.