Amongst the Fallen

by Devin Lee Carlson

  Our covert plan involved two steps. Step one demanded we wait for Eric to visit his parents in Massachusetts. He insisted on staying until after Ariane’s birthday and, of course, Valentine’s Day. I refused to let Eric join us on the White Sands hunt and wanted him long gone for this one as well, certain the scapegoat was still conspiring with Wayde.

  Oddly enough, neither Wayde nor his cronies barged in on the last two hunts, just Sabree. Maybe Eric asked Wayde to lay low to knock our suspicion off him, especially since he had to lead the search in Scotland.

  With Eric out of the picture, step two was easy: prevent the meddlesome leech from following us to Mexico. I had asked Ariane for a strong sedative to lace Sabree’s sugar cubes. Once unconscious, I’d drink enough of the immortal’s blood to cripple him for weeks.

  This morning, I woke early when a loud thud bump against my door. I pulled on a robe before sticking my head out the bedroom door. Eric had apparently parked his suitcases outside. Odd. Did Eric forget to mention he was leaving today? I cleared my throat when he snuck out of my sister’s bedroom, his face furrowed enough to resemble a grumpy bulldog. “Leaving for your folks without saying good bye?” I asked.

  Unable to look me in the eyes, Eric stared at the suitcases. “Not my fault.” He swore and kicked one of the cases across the hall. “Your sister has some serious shit to sort out. I think she’s fallen for the leech.”

  “Sabree?” I asked. “She hates him.”

  “Bullshit. Last night, during sex,” Eric whispered the latter, “she called out his name.”

  TMI. I coughed on a gag. “Seriously?”

  “I’ll collect the rest of my things when I get back. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ariane invites the leech to move in. What the hell, he lurks on the ledge like a vulture. Might as well make himself at home.” Eric kept his voice low as he gathered his suitcases. “Hey, she doesn’t know yet, but so much for my Valentine proposal tomorrow. Happy birthday by the way.”

  “Thanks,” was all I could say. Eric’s early departure, perhaps for good, suited the next hunt. Ariane did me a favor by calling out Sabree’s name in her throes of passion. Again, TMI. At least there’d be no wedding plans that involved Eric. Sabree neither if I had my say. “Keep in touch.” I leaned closer and whispered, “May need your help with a future scavenger hunt.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “I’m willing to pay buku bucks for your troubles.” I followed him to the front door. Eric’s hesitant nod confirmed he might consider it, which was all I could hope for as he shut the door in my face.

  Rid of one roadblock, I stormed into the kitchen ready to dispose of the other. Renewed determination and anger fueled by my sister’s mixed feelings drew on my darker side. I took advantage of the fury. Today I’d drug and bleed Sabree dry. No biggie. If the immortal nuisance could laugh off three bullets, he should survive having his blood drained.

  Eager to be done with it, I soaked a dozen sugar cubes in the liquid sedative. Soured emotions urged me to lace the tea also. I paused when Eric started his car and spun the tires in the gravel. Maybe the couple could patch things up later; then again, absence might make my sister’s heart even fickler.

  She and I had prepared all week for this day, both our bags packed for Mexico. All I had to do was invite Sabree over for sweet tea and sour company. Had to be lonely out there on the ledge. The leech would gladly accept my offer. Then I remembered that I’d better wake Ariane to let her know today was the day.

  A quick sprint through the hall delivered me to her door. After three knocks, I hollered, “Happy Birthday, Sis. Tacos and tortillas today.” This was the code to signal our departure for Mexico. I ran back the kitchen after she muffled a yes.

  Going over the details in my mind, I rolled the kinks in my neck and stepped onto the porch. Two fingers in my mouth produced a sharp whistle to call the family pet inside. Bet a million bucks the insensitive Pitbull heard Eric complain on his way out. As I turned toward the kitchen, Sabree misted in front of me. My short fuse already cut in half, I shoved him aside and cursed him for popping in so suddenly. “What took you so long?”

  Sabree withheld his usual wisecracks. “Bad day?” he asked with a sympathetic smile. “I hear birthday wishes are in order.”

  “Abso-bloody-lutely.” My voice underlined with sarcasm, I said, “Thanks to you, Eric’s moving out.” Right away, I regretted the implication, realizing Sabree wasn’t the only reason. “I’m more to blame than anyone.” The bitterness in my tone tasted like sugar-free chocolate. I coughed. “Still pissed about White Sands, but it’s time to put our differences aside.” Only for this moment.

  “It will all work out in the end,” Sabree said without sincerity. “If you long for companionship, I’d be willing to forego my bug-infested quarters to live here in comfort. I’d be quite content with the spare bedroom.”

  “Only to move into our bug-infested quarters?” I almost choked on the suggestion. Too close for my liking. Swaggering my usual smirk, I handed Sabree a sweetened glass of tea. Together, we tapped the glasses in a toast. “To our miserable and lonely existence. Drink up, my fiend.” I winced. The word fiend might’ve alerted Sabree to be wary, but to my advantage, the gesture touched him in a positive way.

  “Care to return my stone?” Sabree cocked his head after he gulped down the sweetened nectar. “Excellent tea. Sweetened to goopy perfection. No birthday cake?” Then he shook his head as if the on/off switch inside him clicked to off. His eyes formed narrow slits. He cocked his head in question as his hand reached out for me but grabbed air instead. The tips of his fingers slipped off the countertop. His eyes darted about. The other hand clutching the tea released its hold.

  The instant the glass slipped free from Sabree’s fingers, I sped across the kitchen to catch it, toss it into the sink, and then grab Sabree before he hit the floor. No time to waste, my grip tightened as I sank my fangs into his throat, feeling him wrestle against my lethal embrace, too weak and disorientated to mist away. My lips formed a vacuum over his neck.

  I continued to drink, making sure to drain enough blood to put him into cardiac arrest. The shock to his system would take him that much longer to recover, especially in his infected state. A comatose Sabree slumped to the floor as I continued to drain him. By the time I finished, a buoyant numbness invaded my system. The extreme dose of sedative in Sabree’s blood started to work its magic on me. My system shook it off with ease.

  “Time to take a long nap.” I hoisted his lifeless body over my shoulder and carried Sabree into the master bedroom, dropping him onto the bed. I wrapped him in a blanket.

  Behind me, Ariane slipped into the room. “I heard the code.” She gasped when she reached my side. “He looks so pale. Why today of all days? It’s our birthday. What about Eric?”

  “He left this morn ranting about your new love interest.”

  “What do you mean?” Brows lowered, her gaze left Sabree’s lifeless body to settle on me. “Never mind, I’m almost ready.”

  “I jumped through hoops to get the schematics of the tombs. Jerome clued me in as to where he hid the drive, vowing never to return. We are the A team. We don’t need Jerome or Eric’s help.”

  Ariane leaned over to see what I was doing to Sabree. “Did you have to drain him dry? He looks beyond dead.”

  “He deserved it. Anyway, I had to make my move. Our birthday present to us.” My gaze fell on Sabree’s still form for a moment. This bold stunt would definitely produce a formidable enemy by the time our so-called scavenge ended. The outcome would suck, so I answered her with hesitance. “Sabree will be one ravenous, vengeful bloodsucker when he recovers; no telling what he will do.” I bent over to check his pulse. Cool skin and no heartbeat meant his body had not yet begun the recovery phase, which bought us enough time to get across the border. “He’s safe for now and so are we.”

  “Too bad we can’t kill him,” Ariane said. “Or entomb him somewhere.”

  Canned dogfood came
to mind. My jaw clenched at the visual. She seemed a bit eager to cover her true feelings for the leech. Did Ariane honestly believe she could blind sucker me? I wasn’t born yesterday. Then again, I had doubts about our actual birthdate.

  “Sabree would only mist out,” I finally admitted. In some strange way, I had gained a smidgen of fondness for the antagonist, even found the immortal amusing; however, having him dependent on my blood presented a hindrance, not a friendship.

  “Too bad.”

  “Aye, I’m going to pay dearly for this.” I crossed my eyes and forced a smile, gritting my teeth. “You ready?” All wasn’t lost. Ariane was still on my side.

  “Tacos or tortillas,” Ariane squealed as she raced to her bedroom.

  “Mexico or bust.” I muttered to myself as I stole another glimpse at Sabree. He looked so peaceful, the calm before the storm. “We’ll celebrate our birthdays later. Cake’s in the freezer.”

  43

  SHED SOME LIGHT

  T he scavengers’ destination, Cueva Oscura, was a small village located near a private stretch of beach south of Empalme, Mexico. Named after a small cave system, the village thrived on tourism that ventured off the beaten path. Most outsiders, though, came to lay low for a spell. Brian and Ariane were no exception.

  Ariane took a generous sip of wine. Her brother’s plot to immobilize Sabree freed them from the watchdog, although the blood-tie would eventually lead him right to them. With any luck, it would be long after they located the flash drive. For her brother, guilt had never come into play. He owed Sabree big time. Every time the parasite drank his blood, it weakened him, forcing him to seek a meal of his own.

  Distant laughter snapped Ariane from her thoughts. While the sun sank into the glassy horizon, she sat alone in the indoor café that had only half a roof overhead. Repairs were put on hold to see if an outdoor café would draw more customers. The cool ocean breeze, no insects, and the grand view of the sunset worked for her. From her peripheral vision, her brother was chatting with the bartender. She had urged him to solicit a local’s inside scoop about the gravesite. Neither one intended on desecrating the deceased.

  Beneath her elbows, a plastic-coated map that doubled as a tablecloth spanned across the small table. The map was tissue thin, so Brian had it laminated. Eric’s friend lived here years ago, returned to the States, and revisited every summer to help a relative maintain the cemetery grounds. At Eric’s request, Jerome mailed him a crude hand-drawn map of the drive’s location but neglected to offer details pertaining to the layout of the tombs. Eric had lost contact with Jerome months ago. When Ariane asked the locals, they reported him missing and then crossed themselves.

  Brian shuffled back to the table nursing a Corona and handed her another glass of red zinfandel. “Bad news,” he said. “The bartender said most of St. Miguel’s Cemetery was swallowed in an earthquake last summer. Some of the locals tried to excavate it, but bloodsucking vamps frightened them away. Apparently, the undead moved in. The clincher—they live in the caves undisturbed.”

  “Resident nosophors,” Ariane said. Their luck went from bad, to worse, to no luck at all. What's more, this hunt would again lead them into a dark cavern much like the Sconcia underground house of horrors. It seemed inhospitable bloodsuckers inhabited this one too. “Lucky us, we’ll be going underground again.”

  A few more swigs emptied his bottle of beer. Brian wiped his mouth with his sleeve and frowned. “Our dumb luck dictates that Eric’s mates all had their hands in spelunking. The bartender told me Sheriff Mendez posted a warrant to arrest anyone trespassing within a mile of the site.”

  “No doubt you’ll find a way around the sheriff.” She eyed her brother, looking for a sign that he objected to breaking the law. Sure enough, he jumped off his stool ready to tackle the cavern this very minute; however, venturing into the dark would be foolhardy. “We better head out at first light.” She downed the rest of her wine.

  3 3 3

  Since my introduction into the realm of angels, vampires, and immortals, this was the first time a cemetery reared its ugly head. How appropriate. St. Miguel was underground and infested with nosophors. Outside the mausoleum entrance, I waited while my sister prepared for the worst-case scenario by arming herself with a dozen metal rods, pepper spray, and an ice ax attached to her belt. I chuckled when she adjusted her leggings, now overloaded with extra paraphernalia.

  I had to ask. “Is that garlic-flavored pepper spray?”

  “Nope, it’s volcanic-explosive Jalapeno,” Ariane said, pumping an imaginary spray bottle in my face. “Don’t worry, this stuff will knock the nosophors on their asses long enough to poke them with one of these.” She twirled the metal rod like a baton before she slipped the sharp end into its sheath. “You sure you don’t want a few?”

  Medieval menace embodied Ariane’s total package geared up in her ready-to-do-battle black formfitting turtleneck and leggings. Her pack, loaded with metal rods and carabiners, jingled when she twirled around to show off her gear.

  All I wore was my bomber jacket, tank top, and jeans. In contrast to my sister’s vigilance, I refused to saddle myself with weaponry. “I am the perfect weapon,” I boasted. My lips formed a pout when she rolled her eyes. Besides, I had a stake-on-command of my own. My fingers brushed the smooth stone slash metal rod extraordinaire.

  “My Spanish is rusty, but from what I can make out, this map was worth the price,” Ariane said. “Twenty bucks bought us a map drawn by the excavators. Another twenty got me the schematics of the mausoleum.” She tossed the extra pack into the trunk of the rental. “No need for the rest. The tunnel leads to the mausoleum one level down. Have a look,” she said as she handed me the map.

  The diagram showed the vault of interest located in the north wing situated farther within the single-level site. Murphy’s Law and my rotten luck were in cahoots to cause us failure. At first, I regretted bringing Ariane along, especially with nosophors on the march, but was thankful I changed my mind, especially considering the condition of St. Miguel’s Cemetery. Neither one of us had predicted the earthquake. “Let’s go.” I slapped the map into her hand.

  Murky and arid, the atmosphere inside the access tunnel reeked of death and decay. My nose wrinkled as I followed her through the narrow crevice of limestone. My sister squeezed farther inside the crevice, her helmet lamp lighting the main lobby that housed family mausoleums. The open alcove was tall enough for both of us to stand upright. I dusted myself off while Ariane surveyed the crumbled tombs near the entrance of the north vault. Stale air unsettled my stomach. Anything living in here would have serious issues with intruders.

  Pausing, Ariane pulled out a small tube. Before I could ask, she handed it to me. “A trick I learned from Jesse. Vicks VapoRub. Squeeze some gel on your finger and spread it under your nose.”

  Any trick of Jesse’s had to be better than the indigenous stench. I mirrored her and rubbed the goop under my nostrils. The mentholated ointment worked wonders, preventing the rancid odor of death, at least weeks old, from nauseating me.

  After Ariane received my go-ahead, she stepped forward without first surveying the ground and crushed the remains of a human ribcage. “WTF!” she cried, twirling around in a circle and slamming into me.

  “Easy, Sis,” I hissed. Her reaction startled me, thus releasing my own natural instincts. “Sorry, didn’t mean to hiss.” I recognized her nervous giggle. “It’s just a bone. So much for your commando bravado.”

  “Bravado?” Ariane shivered all over. “This place makes my skin crawl.”

  “Move on,” I said. With every step, I shadowed my sister as she inspected the compass with her flashlight. Together, we headed north.

  “Do you think the townsfolk will give us any trouble when we get back?” Ariane asked, pausing again.

  “If this were my hometown, I’d take extra precautions. Two crazies heading straight into a swarm of vampires and returning unscathed, might raise suspicions.” I pushed her pack as a w
ay to urge her onward.

  “It’s a shame the nosophors prevented the villagers from relocating their ancestors’ graves.” She scrunched her body in tight to twist around to face me again.

  “Aye. Nasty bunch.” This time I pushed her along. “Move it, Sis, or I’ll take the lead.” Besides her skill at spelunking, I purposely let her lead because of the nosophors I sensed behind us. We had to be on our guard as we entered the next keyhole, tighter than the first with only room enough to squeeze through sideways. Our headlamps lit the tight path ahead.

  We trudged deeper into the narrow tunnel. Loose debris sprinkled on top of our helmets. I paused and held my breath. Senses alerted me to a nosophor slinking along, moving faster to overtake us. Time to warn my sister. I tapped her shoulder. “We’re not alone; get a move on.”

  The beam from her headlamp bobbed in agreement. We quickened our pace until we came upon another clearing that matched the one on the map. Her flashlight cut through the two-story, twenty-foot-wide cavern. Three cross beams, installed by the original excavators, supported the ceiling. “It looks like there’s no other way out,” she said with certain dread.

  “Murphy sucks.” At this juncture, I sensed several nosophors in the tunnel and more hidden behind the crevices inside the cavern. “A dead end,” I muttered. The outcome grave, I chose not to alert her until we found the drive. Damn selfish of me, condemning my choice. “Do you see the vault?”

  Plastic crackled in my ear. Ariane fussed with the map, pointing at a plaque engraved with a family crest on the tomb. Closer inspection confirmed we picked the correct name. “It’s here,” she cried. “This is Jerome’s great-grandfather.” Slender fingers brushed the edges to clear away the dust and debris that had encrusted the bronze grave marker since the earthquake. The left side revealed a crack thin enough to conceal the encased drive. She popped it out and immediately tucked it away.