“Well some of the people I’ve brought with me are here to keep you safe,” Dad explained. “I’ve hired some of the best protection experts in the state. They’ve also been well briefed. They may not believe what they’ve been told, but hopefully they’ll be ready for them.”
“You can’t fight them, Dad,” I said. “They’re too…they’re too…”
Nothing.
I had nothing to say.
I started crying, and once that happened I couldn’t stop. The hazy cloud I had been living under was becoming more and more transparent. The pain in my arm was making me aware.
Thoughts were trying to push themselves into my head.
Why?
My father dropped his papers to the floor, and gently wrapped his warm arms around me. It was nice. He smelled nice, and his touch was warm. I wasn’t used to being touched by living things.
“How long have I been gone?" I asked.
“Almost three months,” Dad answered.
“It only felt like a few weeks,” I whispered.
“It’s okay,” Dad said. “You’re safe now. We’ll move you to a different location as soon as you’re okay to travel, and that shouldn’t be more than a few days from now. Glen says if we leave the country the vampires probably won’t follow.”
Vampires.
The word sent chills down my spine. I had spent three months in the company of supernatural beings. I witnessed things that I should never have been forced to witness.
So much death.
I felt very cold, and I shivered in my father’s embrace.
“They won’t let me go,” I said.
“They don’t have a choice,” Dad said.
“You wouldn’t believe the things they did,” I said as the fear grew inside me.
“I’ve failed you,” Dad said. “I should have protected you from the monsters. Instead, I brought them into your life.”
“If you hadn’t, I’d be dead from my kidnappers,” I said.
That evening, after the sun set, I felt their presence. Waking up from a sound sleep, I knew they were near. They understood the situation, they were aware of all the police and news reporters camped out all over the hospital.
In the morning, Dad was waiting for me to wake up, and when I did he greeted me with a smile and a kiss on the cheek.
“They didn’t come,” Dad said.
“I’m too weak to leave,” I said. “They’re only waiting until I’m better.”
“You can’t know that,” Dad said.
“I do know that,” I countered.
“Well, I’ve arranged for a plastic surgeon to examine your arm,” Dad said. “I don’t want you wandering around with such hideous scars the rest of your life.”
“I can’t stay here,” I said.
“You aren’t staying here,” Dad said. “We’re moving to Italy just as soon as you’re able. Let’s see the bastards follow us there. Meanwhile, I’ll be throwing money to the Vampire Hunters so they can continue the hunt after we’re gone. That Glen is furious. He just about lost his entire team.”
Two days went by, and little by little, hour by hour, I became more myself. The spell Derry had held over me was fading ever so slowly. Of course I hated myself. I hated that I was party to so many horrible things. I hated that I didn’t have the courage to stop them.
“None of this is your fault,” Glen said as he sat by my hospital bed. “These creatures can easily turn your world upside down. You’re just lucky to have survived.”
“It’s not over yet,” I said.
“I think it might be,” Glen said. “They haven’t come for you. I expected them on the first night, but I think we may have enough people dedicated to your protection that they’ve moved on. It’s possible that you’re too much trouble.”
“Derry loves me,” I whispered. “Love doesn’t cease to exist just because you have a small army gathered to protect me.”
“He doesn’t love you,” Glen argued. “Vampires aren’t capable of emotions like that. It’s all an act.”
“You don’t understand your enemy,” I said. “You can’t beat them, because you don’t understand them.”
Glen leaned forward suddenly interested.
“You think you can help us understand them a bit better?"
“I can, maybe,” I answered, “but that doesn’t mean they’ll be easier to kill.”
“You’re improving rapidly,” Glen said. “If everything works out, we’ll be moving you tomorrow. I think you’ll like Italy. We won’t be coming with you, but I have connections over there. You’ll be safe.”
I turned away from Glen.
I was confused.
Despite the horrors of what I’d seen, I still had feelings for Derry. I still cared for him, and I knew he cared for me. The hazy fog that confused my thoughts kept reappearing at the worst possible moments.
I didn’t want to leave. A part of me wanted Derry and his brothers to come and rescue me. A Lieutenant Morris had questioned me twice already, but Dad did most of the talking. It was so hard for me to concentrate sometimes.
“I can’t tell if it’s the pain medication or lingering effects of Derry’s magic,” I complained, “but sometimes it’s so damn hard to focus. I can’t always decide what’s best for me.”
“I understand,” Glen said. “Vampires can invade your mind. They can make you do things you don’t want to do. I haven’t experienced this ability myself, but I’ve met many that have. It’s a toxic and invasive ability, but it will wear off completely in a few months or so.”
“I’ve seen this ability drive people mad,” I said.
“I don’t doubt that,” Glen said. “You’re a very lucky girl. Someday I’ll sit and tell you all about the horrible things vampire’s do to innocent people. It won’t be a pleasant conversation, but you’ll certainly understand just how lucky you are.”
“They never hurt me,” I said. “My arm was an accident.”
“They hadn’t hurt you yet,” Glen corrected. “They also didn’t turn you. I wonder why.
“He talked about it,” I said. “We talked about it. It was always a possibility.”
“You’re lucky you were injured,” Glen said. “It’s crazy that they actually took you to a hospital.”
“He loves me,” I said.
Derry
“She’s alive,” Lorcan whispered. “That’s something.”
“She’ll be difficult to retrieve,” Ciaran added.
“It’ll be dangerous,” Lorcan said. “There are people around her that know about us.”
“Vampire Hunters,” Ciaran said. “I’ll handle them for you, Derry. This is all my fault.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “Accidents happen. You’ll just need to be more careful in the future.”
“She’s weak,” Lorcan said. “She needs more time to recover.”
“Can’t she recover with us?" Ciaran asked.
“No,” I answered. “We don’t have the necessary skills. She’s best with her own kind for a bit longer.”
“No doubt they’ll try and hide her,” Ciaran said.
“Yes,” I agreed. “They’ll try and hide her eventually, but not anytime soon. She’s too weak. She almost died. She needs time to recover. Nobody with intelligence would attempt to move her now.”
“They’re desperate,” Lorcan said. “Humans do funny things when they’re desperate.”
“I think they’re planning to fight,” Ciaran said.
“They definitely have a small army on her floor,” I agreed, “but the idea of fighting vampires is very different than actually fighting them.”
“You think they’ll be frightened?" Lorcan asked.
“I think they’ll be caught off guard if they catch a look at us,” I explained.
“You want us to reveal ourselves?" Ciaran asked. “Those humans don’t frighten me, and they shouldn’t frighten either of you.”
“Normally they don’t,” I said. “However, some of these
humans are vampire hunters. Vampire hunters know how to hurt us. They know how to kill us. I’m trying to think the situation through.”
“They have the advantage,” Ciaran said.
“They can move her during daylight hours,” Lorcan said.
“That won’t matter,” I said. “We can probably find her anywhere in the city, unless they figure out a way to confuse our senses.”
“Even if they do figure out a way to confuse our senses,” Ciaran said. “That won’t help them forever.”
We were sitting on the rooftop of a building only a few streets away from Selma’s hospital. We didn’t dare get any closer, but we were still keeping a vigilant eye on the situation.
“She’s probably afraid,” Lorcan said. “Those fools want to put her in a cage.”
“If she’s associated with our crimes they’ll probably seek to end her life,” Ciaran said.
“None of that is going to happen,” I growled. “I’m supposed to take care of her. I’m supposed to keep her safe.”
“This is all my fault,” Ciaran repeated.
“It is,” Lorcan agreed.
“Stop it,” I said. “Both of you need to focus on the problem at hand.”
“We could leave her,” Lorcan said. “Maybe we can come back in a year or so, and pick up where we left off.”
“If we vanish for a year,” Ciaran said. “We’ll drive her insane. We’ve all seen that before. You can’t pop in and out of a human’s lifespan.”
“We’re going to get her back,” I said. “We just need to wait for the right moment, and now is not that time. She’s still too weak, and she’s not improving very quickly.”
“So we wait,” Lorcan said.
A man coughed slightly from a rooftop not far away, and all of us turned to look at him.
“Did you know he was there?" Lorcan asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
“He’s wearing a blanket of some sort that helps him blend in to the rooftop,” Ciaran said. “How inventive.”
“He’s not a vampire hunter,” I said.
“Not if he’s using a rifle,” Ciaran added.
“He’s probably with the police,” I said. “Or maybe he was hired by Selma’s father.”
I sniffed the air, and caught a brief smell of the man’s cologne. That didn’t interest me too much being that his scent was unfamiliar. I then listened to his heart beat. He wasn’t expecting any trouble.
“Derry?" Lorcan asked.
“I’m going to take him,” I said. “I’m hungry, and it’ll let them all know that we’re nearby and watching.”
Ciaran clapped his hands happily, and I was off.
I covered the distance between our buildings rapidly, and in mist form. My prey didn’t expect me, and that made things almost too easy. They should have warned him about what he was up against.
I climbed over the lip of the man’s building without noise. I listened to him take a drink from his thermos, and then I wrapped my hand around his ankle, and yanked him out from under his blanket.
“What the hell?" The man wondered aloud.
I slashed at both of his legs to prevent him from running. The man screamed out, and drew his pistol, but I was already far away from him.
“Where are you?" The man asked.
“I’m behind you,” I taunted.
I watched him spin around. I watched him point the gun in my direction, and then I moved. The man screamed out as I broke all his fingers, and removed the gun from his hand.
I dropped the useless weapon over the side of the building.
“Are you with the Police?" I asked.
“No,” the man answered. “I’m part of a private security force.”
“You were hired by the girl’s father?" I asked.
“Yes,” the man answered. “Look, this is just a paycheck to me. I don’t have any skin in this game. I can just leave.”
“No you can’t,” I said as I walked around him in circles.
The blood scent from the man’s legs filled my nostrils, and made my fangs pop out through my gum line. I wanted his blood desperately, and I leaped on top of him.
There was a brief insignificant struggle, and then my teeth found flesh. I bit down, and then yanked my head from left to right, tearing open the man’s throat. The blood really started to gush when I did that. I ended up with a wet face, but I wasn’t complaining.
After I finished, I lifted his corpse over my shoulder, and moved closer to the hospital. From a great height, I dropped the body into the parking lot right at the same entrance I’d used with Selma. Now they’d know for certain that we were watching. Now they’d know for certain that we wanted her back.
The hospital was buzzing with activity after the body splattered against the concrete. My brothers even joined me for a better view.
“They’ll be terrified,” Ciaran laughed.
“They’ll be more careful now,” Lorcan warned.
“They can be as careful as they want,” I said. “It won’t help them. Nothing can help them until Selma is back with us. I’ll torment this hospital and everyone that comes here.”
My brothers laughed at my bold stance, but they knew I was being serious. I’d tormented people before. Frightening humans was easy work, and it was also rather entertaining at times.
“Keep an eye on everything here,” I said. “I want to see, Selma.”
Without another word, I crawled around the tall building, and made my way straight to Selma’s window. I allowed myself a quick look at her. She was awake, and I was pretty sure she felt my presence even though I moved away from the window before she turned her head.
I listened to the sounds of her breathing.
She was excited.
News of my victim had already reached her room.
I was satisfied. Now she knew that I hadn’t abandoned her. Now she knew that she’d never be alone. I was going to get her back. No mere human could ever hope to keep her from me.
There were only two or three vampire hunters left. I’d managed to already kill the rest of them. That didn’t make the situation any safer for me though. Vampire hunters were normally a rather resourceful bunch.
Selma’s father was in the room with her.
I didn’t like the man. He was too much of an adult. He thought he had authority, but he didn’t. He was an infant compared to me. I resented him. I resented how he mastered his fear of us, and kept after his daughter.
I wanted his blood.
I imagined myself feeding on him. I imagined myself pulling him apart in the process, and I decided to be especially cruel to him in the future.
I wouldn’t rest until Selma was back in my arms.
Selma
We were going to leave.
There was a plane waiting for us. We only needed to get permission from my doctor. My arm had been throbbing through the pain-killers, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.
“Just a few more minutes,” Glen said.
My father was outside arguing with Lieutenant Morris and a few of her detectives, but he already had all of them beat. I was going to a specialist out of the country, and there wasn’t much anyone could do to stop me. I was an innocent victim, and keeping me in the country could cause permanent damage to my arm.
“I’m worried,” I said.
“The pain is getting worse?" Glen asked.
“It is,” I said through gritted teeth.
Soon after that, I blacked out.
I woke up after another round of surgery, and the first thing I did was look out my window. Nighttime was only an hour or so away.
“There were complications,” Dad explained. “Everything is okay now, but we can’t leave just yet. Your Doctor is too worried.”
“We should try,” Glen said.
“The Doctor said that she shouldn’t be moved,” Dad argued testily. “She’s staying put.”
“They’ll know we tried to leave today,” Glen said.
“They h
aven’t attacked yet,” Dad said. “I don’t think they will.”
“They will,” Glen cautioned. “And that attack will come tonight.”
“Then so be it,” Dad said. “I’m not risking my daughters arm or her life.”
Glen nodded, but he certainly didn’t agree.
“When can we leave?" I asked.
“We can leave as soon as you’re strong enough,” Dad answered.
“I can’t feel any pain anymore,” I said.
“They switched your pain medication,” Dad said.
“I feel funny,” I said.
“You should enjoy that,” Glen laughed good naturedly.
There was a commotion outside my room, and Dad went to investigate.
Very casually, Glen moved to face the door. He was on alert, waiting for something to happen. Well why shouldn’t he be? The vampires had already attacked a police station. A hospital shouldn’t worry them too much.
Dad reentered the room.
“The police are emptying this entire floor,” Dad said. “Since we’re staying longer than anticipated, they’d like to take precautions in case of an attack.”
“I like that,” Glen added.
“Why’s that?" Dad asked.
“The more people dedicated to Selma’s protection the better,” Glen said. “Now we need to inform them of what they are actually facing.”
“That’ll never work,” Dad said. “Who’s going to believe in vampires?”
“Nobody at first,” Glen said, “but if push comes to shove it’s best to have an advanced warning even if they don’t believe.”
“Don’t believe me now,” Dad said. “Wait until they’re standing in front of you.”
“Exactly,” Glen said. “I’ll handle speaking to them. They’ll think I’m crazy at first, but that’s okay. I don’t need them to respect me. They probably won’t survive regardless.”
It was after midnight when Derry entered the hospital.
According to the nurses on duty, he walked in and asked about my progress. At first the nurse refused to answer any of his questions, but that didn’t last very long. Very quickly Derry learned that I had complications that prevented my departure.
“The young master was very angry!” the nurse cried over and over. “He says you shouldn’t have tried to leave! Now there’s going to be hell to pay!”
The Forgotten: A Vampire Story Page 22
