by V L Friends
“What?” I said, feeling rather foolish for my outburst and trying to think of how I would make it up to him. He was towering over me now and giving me a blank look. This couldn’t be good.
“It won’t hurt, and I will only take a little.” He grabbed me and pulled me to him before I could say anything and bit into my neck. It did hurt for a second so I felt myself going into shock. I was helpless. I felt myself passing out.
“Did I die?” was what I asked Leland when I woke up tied to him as we were riding through the night.
He didn’t answer me but pulled over the side of the road.
“I can’t believe you fed on me!” I said.
“I needed my leg to heal quickly. And I figured you owed me.”
I felt tears in my eyes.
“It’s just that I was starting to trust you before all of this and… I was starting to feel bad about overreacting… and well, I can’t believe you did that to me!”
“You can’t tell me that no one has ever done that to you. All the walkers that you have been around… you mean to tell me... not one of them… not even Julian has ever drank your blood?”
“No.”
There was a long pause. “Sorry,” he said and looked down as though he was legitimately remorseful.
“Are you going to try making me a walker?” I was feeling so helpless now.
“No, Anaya,” was all he would say, as he started up the motor and got back on the road.
We rode in silence for a few hours before he spoke again.
“I may have some of my enemies waiting for me in the next town,” Leland said. “You will need to do as I say. We need to work together to stay alive.”
He pulled over to some vacant home. Apparently, he had been here before.
“What kind of enemies?” I asked.
“There are some people that want me dead. Let’s just say I am not their kind of walker,” Leland explained.
“How do you know they are in the next town?”
“I have spies,” he said.
“Now, enough questions, listen carefully. They are not expecting me to be with anyone, so that means you can be my secret weapon,” he said.
He had a map of the city and showed me some key location where he had hidden weapons.
“I am not going to help you kill, Leland. Why do you have to confront them? You could just avoid them and we could get away.”
“So is that how this is going to go? It turns out you are more of a burden to me than a benefit,” he said, sighing heavily as he narrowed his eyes at me. “Well, I guess that changes things. You will be dropped off at the entrance of the city and you must meet me on the other side. Here is a map.” He threw it at me. “We leave in the morning. Get some rest.”
“This is just unbelievable,” I muttered to myself. Was he really acting like a spoiled child after finding out I was not going to kill for him? My head flooded with questions. Who could these people be and what kind of grudge did they have against Leland? He had been alive 500 years and, judging from the scars on his body, I concluded that he had probably seen a lot of battles and likely had a lot of enemies.
The next morning Leland was all business. He had little to say. He dropped me off at some random store. I had his map so he handed me a wad of cash and instructed me on directions where to meet him at a hotel at a secluded beach near the end of the city limits.
“If you are thinking of escaping me, think again. I tracked you once and I will find you again, and there will be consequences for making me come after you,” Leland threatened and, with that, he sped off on his motorcycle.
He was angry with me. Well, even though I could not help him kill anyone, I decided that I would follow him to his weapons locations and make sure he was okay. It was easy to hail a cab. Now that I was away from his watchful eyes I would find the nearest phone and try to call Caleb and, well, I should probably let Julian know I was fine.
Following him throughout the city of Salvador, Brazil proved to be a difficult task. The buildings were multicolored and the architecture was stunning. This was obviously a place rich with history. It was difficult for me to stay on task with all of the places I wanted to stop and see. The daytime was packed with people. The city seemed to slope to the beach, which was filled with many tourists enjoying the warm sand and swimming in the ocean. I went to five of the weapons locations to see if I could spot Leland but he was nowhere to be found. Where could he be?
Maybe he was waiting for nightfall. He just told me to meet him at a hotel at the edge of the city. He never said what time.
Locating a working public phone proved to be impossible. I did manage to buy a track phone but getting any kind of service here proved to be just as tedious, so I gave up on making any calls for now.
There was time to relax and find somewhere to wait and observe the happenings around me. I admit that I was very curious about what these people that wanted Leland dead were like. I sat across the street, at a table by myself, looking out of the window at this church where he had hidden weapons. The map suggested the weapons were hidden in the floorboards. The thought of Leland using God’s house like this was disturbing to me.
“Leave it to a walker to use a church for his weapons stash,” I mumbled to myself with a hint of disgust.
“So, what brings a nice lady like you to a place like this?” asked a man with a Portuguese accent.
I turned to see two gentlemen looking at me. The man speaking was dressed in a nice tweed blazer but also wearing jeans and boots. His accent made me think that he was one of the upper-class locals. I tried to look past him to see the other guy but I could not quite catch his features. The room was somewhat dark and he was trying to turn away. When he turned back I had a clear view and it took me by surprise, so much so that I immediately stood up.
He looked equally as well dressed and his hair was slicked back in a makeshift ponytail to hide his long black hair. It was Leland. His blue eyes pierced me with a warning look.
“Um, excuse me, I wasn’t trying to call attention to myself…” I laughed nervously.
“Well, you must know that is not possible for such a beautiful woman as yourself,” said the other man.
“Perhaps we can join you? My name is Javier,” he said, signaling at a chair for permission.
“Of course,” I said, looking at Leland for any indication of what he thought I should do.
“This is my friend Chase. I will go grab us some more drinks. You two get acquainted.”
When Javier was out of earshot, Leland turned to me.
“Well, aren’t you full of surprises? What are you doing?” He scowled at me.
He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me along while he led me out the back door to the alley.
“You are on dangerous ground here, Anaya!” He was being a little rough.
“Well, excuse me for caring! What was I supposed to do, Leland, let you go through this alone? I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Things are already in play. Just go to the hotel.”
“Who is that Javier guy, anyway?”
“Javier is a man who has claimed to be my friend but he doesn’t know that I know he is about to betray me,” said Leland.
“That sounds awful. I’m sorry.”
“Anyway, never mind; you need to make an excuse to leave. Things are about to get ugly. Now let’s get back inside; follow my lead.”
Leland grabbed my hand and walked me inside to the dance floor, where we proceeded to slow dance. It was a bit awkward, as the size difference was very evident. I was 5’6 and he was towering over me at 6’4. I made a nervous giggle and Leland leaned down to speak in my ear.
“Jeez, try to relax. At least do better at faking it,” Leland said, faking a sensual smile at me.
Javier waved us back to the table at the end of the song. I was relieved to sit down.
“You two seem to be cozy together,” said Javier. “You always did seem to do well with the ladies,” he looked at Leland.<
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Leland seemed uncomfortable and this seemed to give Javier some pleasure. So much so that he positioned me between them and moved in closer, boxing me in.
“I hope you don’t mind that I got you something a little stronger to drink,” Javier said and handed me a shot of vodka.
“It’s a little early in the day for me to be drinking alcohol,” I said, glancing at the clock above the bar that said it was only 4 o’clock.
“We are starting early. We have much to celebrate today,” Javier said.
“So, is that an American accent I hear from you? Don’t tell me you are here in this country by yourself?” Javier asked.
“Well, yes, I am American and I am not alone here. I have somehow been separated from my travel companion but we are meeting up later tonight,” I said, trying not to notice that he was so close to me now and that he was stroking my hair.
“So, what are you two celebrating?” I asked.
“I am celebrating a business deal that will make me very rich. I have secured a large real estate property which will take me further into a profitable industry. It’s complex, so I won’t bore you with the details, but it is worth celebrating for sure,” Javier said, pouring himself another glass from the bottle of vodka he brought to the table.
“Hey, I never did get your name.”
“It’s Anaya,” I said.
“Anaya, how would you like to come with us to see my new building I just purchased?” Javier leaned in so close to my ear I could feel his breath on my ear.
“Javier, I think the lady has better things to do than to hang out with the two of us tonight,” Leland said as he grabbed my chair and pulled me away from Javier. Javier just shrugged as if he was used to this behavior from Leland.
“I apologize for my friend; he is normally more of a gentleman,” Leland said as he signaled me to do something.
“Yes, well as fun as that sounds, I really need to decline your offer. I should be going now,” I said.
“Okay, but just one dance before you go.” Javier was up and grabbed my hand to escort me to the dance floor before I could decline. I gave Leland a ‘help me’ glare.
He pulled me close to him immediately. I took this opportunity for some deliberate conversation about his intentions. I had no time for tact. I felt I had to at least try to stop unnecessary bloodshed.
“So how long have you and Chase been friends?” I asked.
“A very long time.”
“Would you say that you are close?” I asked.
“We have been through a lot together. Are you smitten with him?” he asked.
“Well, let’s just say I wouldn’t want him to be killed tonight,” I said.
He pulled back in surprise with a more serious look, studying me.
“Who are you?” he demanded.
“Smile and don’t look alarmed. He’s watching,” I said, pulling him back to dance. “I am here to help. I don’t want to see anyone get killed. I know that you plan to betray him and things are about to get violent,” I continued.
“You know this how?” he said as our bodies seemed to move in a natural rhythm to the music.
“Never mind how I know, Javier. Why would you want him dead if you two have such a history?”
“Are you with him?” he asked.
“I am with no one, well, except God, I guess,” I said with uncertainty.
“My history with him has consisted of me being his lowly servant who cleans up his messes! I am done being controlled by him! I am done being his patsy!” He was raising his voice.
“Sshh,” I warned him as I glanced over at Leland, who was studying the two of us.
“You don’t really know who he is, do you? He must be stopped! You need to get as far from here as you can, Miss!” he said. I could feel his heart pounding.
“Javier, I am here to help you because there is a very good chance he already knows what you plan and is ready for you. You and many others very likely will not survive this. So, I urge you to stop and run now!” I said in a last effort to convince him.
“Miss, I am afraid it is too late,” he said, as he seemed to be giving a subtle look to others in the room.
That is when I looked to see that the place had cleared out and seemed to only have men standing around. They were obviously strategically placed around the room. Everything seemed to go in slow motion from that point.
“He is on his way over here,” Javier said. “Do exactly as I say and you won’t get hurt.”
Javier grabbed me and placed me behind him and pulled a gun from inside his jacket and yelled, “Now!”
“The room erupted with at least 20 to 30 men showering Leland with gunfire. When every gun was emptied Leland lay on the floor motionless. Everyone scattered. Javier rushed me to a car that pulled up out back. As the car raced away with me and Javier inside, I sat there shaking and crying.
“What have you done?!” I yelled, still in shock.
“Be quiet!” Javier yelled at me as he was trying to listen to the person he was talking to on his phone.
“Are you sure? Damn it!” He slammed his phone on the floor in frustration.
“He is still alive. The police and ambulance are there so my men can’t go back and finish the job now. We have to wait,” Javier said
“Well, that is unfortunate for you and your men. I have seen walkers with revenge in their eyes. You won’t survive it.”
“What the hell do you suggest I do then? Do I try to make amends?” he asked.
I had to laugh at the thought.
“No, I suggested you not start a fight you could not finish!” The tone in my voice raised to frantic and I shook my head. “You just wouldn’t listen.”
“Now the only option you have is to run. Tell me that you will not go back and try to finish the job and I will go back to him and try to convince him not to come after you now,” I said.
“You would risk your life to go talk to him? Who the heck are you and why would he listen to you?”
“Look, let’s just say I know him well enough to know he won’t hurt me.”
“Okay, I won’t go after him and my men and I will disappear. Are you sure this will work?” he asked me.
“I will let you know if he agrees. Now please let me out,” I said.
Javier reluctantly signaled for the car to stop and he gave me his cell number.
It took me some time to run back to the site of the shooting. It was crowded with EMTs securing the scene. There were some people who did get caught in the crossfire that were being hauled away on stretchers. I walked up to one of the workers and asked if anyone fitting Leland’s description had been hauled out.
“Yes, he is in that ambulance over there. They are working on him. He has been shot at least 20 times. I am sorry, Miss, he most likely won’t survive,” said the emergency technician.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, are you a relative?” A man stepped out of the ambulance and shut the double doors behind him.
“Yes, yes I am,” I lied.
“I am terribly sorry but he is gone,” the man said.
“I see,” I tried to look grief stricken, but of course I knew he wasn’t gone.
“Can I just please have a moment with him?” I asked.
He looked around nervously but then agreed with a nod as he walked away to help the others.
Inside the ambulance I was not prepared for what a mess Leland was. There was blood everywhere. For a moment the traumatic experience I went through with Julian started to come back to me. I felt queasy.
“Leland!” I called out. My gut told me he was alive. His eyes opened at the sound of my voice.
“Can you speak? What can I do?” I asked.
His voice was strained and hoarse but he said, “Steal this ambulance and drive me to the water. Put me in the water. I will find the blood I need to recover from the sea life.”
I wanted to argue but I realized I was not in a position to at this time. The keys happened to be in the ignit
ion, so without hesitation, and without looking back to see if I was being followed, I sped away in the ambulance.
Driving to the beach was easy. Getting Leland the rest of the way along the sandy beach to the water proved not so easy. I put him on some kind of blanket and dragged him. Thank God there was no one else around. How would I explain this to anyone?
“Get to the hotel. I should be there in the morning.” Leland said as I rolled him in the water.
“Leland, I need to ask you one thing. Come to me first before you go after them, okay? I have a proposal I must talk to you about. Promise me you will come to me first.”
“Hmm, intriguing,” he said and winked at me. I couldn’t believe he could still be kidding around at a time like this. “Yeah, okay, fine,” he said.
The ambulance was left there stuck in the sand as I walked off the beach onto the street, looking for a cab to hail. I had been walking for about 15 minutes when the thought popped into my mind. You know, of course Leland is going to go seek revenge first, right?
“Damn it!” Feeling the betrayal of that lying giant, I yelled out loudly as I kicked a trash can on the curb.
“What did the trash can do to you?” said a voice behind me.
I turned around to see an old Hispanic woman smiling at me.
I smiled back.
“It looks like you have been through quite an ordeal tonight,” she said.
“I have,” I said, sighing and pulling my hair back out of my eyes. I must have been a sight for sore eyes. My long skirt was torn and my pantyhose were shredded, my shoes were full of sand, and I was drenched from head to toe with sea water.
“I have something for you.” The old lady pulled something out of her pocket. It was a vial of oil labeled ‘oil of joy’ and a note. She placed it into my hand.
“This is something God wanted me to give you. Save it in your coat pocket and open at a later time. You will know when.” With that done, the lady turned and walked away.
What a strange thing to happen.
My decision was to go to the hotel and check in, but afterwards to go back to the church early in the morning to see if Leland would show up to retrieve his weapons. I was almost 100 percent sure he was lying. I had a plan to stop him.
