by Tahnee Fritz
He decided not to join us on our trip to the basement. As much as I could tell he wants to see how the cure works, he was afraid to be that close to the vamps. Your typical human, afraid to face something they don’t understand.
We strolled through the tunnels under the school until we came to a dead end. There are six of the pale faced creatures locked in a cage. Trevor found the darkest corner in the darkest tunnel to keep his blood thirsty prisoners. The sunlight can’t get to them down here no matter where he chose to keep them, but he wanted to be certain.
I stand before the vampires and listen to their hungry groans. They growl and reach their arms through the bars for their prey. Their hazy eyes are begging for the humans to come closer and they gnash their teeth at Trevor. He smiles and puts a dart in the gun, then locates the perfect specimen to test it.
The one he has chosen is a middle aged man missing his shirt. His pale chest glows in the dim candle light and his greying hair blends in with his skin. He has both of his arms outstretched through the bars, trying to reach for the nearest human. There is a few feet between us and their hands so the living are safe.
Trevor raises the weapon and looks through the scope to get the perfect shot. He lines it up with the vampire’s throat and pulls the trigger. The blast bounces off the walls, screaming into the ears of the humans around me. They quickly cover their heads with their hands and fight the deafening sound.
I stare at the vamp with the dart sticking from his neck. I can see the blood seeping into his system until the small vial is drained. Still, he stands with his arms reaching for the meal he will never have.
“How long does this take, Bridget?” Trevor asks, a hint of anger in his voice.
“His vampire body will die in a moment. It will take time for his human form to wake up, but he will be cured.” I reply.
My eyes stay glued to the vamp and I await the effects of the cure to take hold of him. There is something familiar about watching this creature and staring into his eyes. The dull haze of them is like any other vampire on the planet, but watching the dead life being taken from him feels like déjà vu. I might never figure out why this is familiar, but I am positive it has something to do with the life I threw away.
A gargling sound comes from the vamp’s throat and he starts clawing at the dart in his neck. I feel the same scratches on my own skin although nothing is behind me to cause it. I close my eyes and shake the feeling from my head, but it remains there to torture me. I grit my teeth and clench my hands into fists. These feelings aren’t meant for a creature as great as I am.
I open my eyes and glare at the vamps before me. They take no notice of their fallen friend as he lays on the floor waiting to wake up human again. I think it’s about time the rest of them join him.
I snatch the dart gun from Trevor’s grip and take one of the darts he has in a pouch around his waist. I slide it into the barrel and take aim. The woman I choose has long black hair and looks to be no older than I am. I aim for her throat and pull the trigger, then take another dart.
The humans cower with their hands over their ears as I take the final shot getting the last of the six vamps in the throat. His friends are lying at his feet and he is completely oblivious to what is going on around him. He begins clutching at the dart until it falls from his skin and hits the floor at his feet. Seconds pass and he is toppling over the bodies and landing on top of them with his eyes closed.
I lower the gun and let the smile creep across my face. Shooting these damn things seemed to do the trick and get rid of that obnoxious feeling roaming through me. I feel more like myself again and less like I am reliving a memory I cannot recall.
Trevor pulls himself together and I hand him the gun. He takes it and stares at my handy work. Each vamp has been injected with something that will change the world and they have no idea. As far as they are concerned, they were just killed and waiting to enter the world of the permanently dead.
It is just that easy.
“So,” Trevor sighs, “we just wait?”
I nod, “That is exactly what we do.”
“Got it.” he replies.
I stare at the lifeless forms locked behind those bars and feel nothing for them. No mercy, no hatred, and especially no envy. They will wake up as a weak human being with a beating heart and an aroma that will drive any zombie or vampire hungry for their flesh. They will have to go through their days fighting to survive in this hellish world.
I don’t understand why anyone would want to live like that.
I am proud to be what I am. Proud to be the freak those humans will see me as and damn proud of what I can do to them if they get in my way. The old me never saw it like that. She wanted to help them and give them a better chance for the future. Sure, the cure can do that and with my help the world will go back to the way it was before the zombies and vamps came around.
That is only if I want to help them. Right now I am simply playing Trevor’s little game and he believes that he is winning.
* * *
The vamps that were cured woke up when the sun went down. All six of them opened their human eyes and stared at a world they had not seen in a while. They were confused and scared, but every last one of them was grateful to be alive again. They shared their stories of being bitten to the crowd in the cafeteria as Trevor’s expanding army rejoiced and welcomed their newest members.
I stand in the corner of the room and stare at the faces surrounding the tables. The six ex-vamps sit together and laugh their cares away, acting as though nothing terrible had ever come to them. The man with the Mohawk sits alone and glares at me while a few others are busy getting drunk off moonshine and old liquor. I was offered to consume the beverages with them, but I happily refused. Human refreshments will do me no good. They are like a poison and I will not allow myself to fall ill to it.
I lean against the wall and take in the praises and cheers as these people rejoice in their new lives. Each one of them welcomes me into this group of unruly misfits and looks forward to the future we will all create together. Trevor has it carved into their minds that they will have complete control over the world and get to do whatever they want under his ruling. He believes that once he rises, the humans out there will have no choice other than doing what he says in order to get my cure. I will let him believe this for now, but it is my cure in the end.
“Here you are!” Trevor exclaims as he approaches me, his breath stinks of liquor. “Why aren’t you celebrating with the others?”
“Doing what I am meant to do is nothing for me to celebrate.” I reply coldly.
He seems confused for a moment, then brushes it off and leans against the wall beside me. He takes another swig from the bottle in his hand and nearly finishes it. He looks out to his people and smiles. More of his followers are elsewhere in the school or outside patrolling the small community, but his favorite people are right here in this room.
“You have truly outdone yourself today, Bridget.” He states with a smile. “I couldn’t be happier with how things went downstairs. I can promise you there will be more of that.”
“Glad to hear.” I say.
He nudges me with his shoulder then says, “I have a surprise for you. Something to show you just how much I appreciate the gift you’ve given me.”
I turn my eyes to him and say, “What surprise could you possibly have for me?”
His grin turns sly and he pulls himself away from the wall, “Follow me, my dear.”
He leads me through the doors of the cafeteria and I follow him down the hall. He stammers as he finishes off the alcohol and tosses the glass bottle to the floor. It doesn’t shatter, but it clangs against the tile and rolls away from him. He takes me down a familiar path until we are standing outside the door to my room. It’s closed and a guard is standing watch by it. I raise an eyebrow and cock my head to the side.
Trevor spins around and speaks with a slur, “Your surprise awaits you, dear sweet Bridget. Inside this room
you will find your reason to celebrate.”
He is completely drunk right now. He holds onto the wall to maintain his balance as that annoying grin is slapped across his face. Unless there is a delicious meal waiting for me inside of my room, there is no surprise he could give me that I actually want. Although, I will humor this man and grant him the thanks he believes he deserves.
The guard moves aside and I reach for the doorknob. I twist the cold metal in my hand and push the door open. Candles have been lit on the old desk and a few are scattered about the rest of the room. I sniff the air and take in the scents around me. Beyond the strong liquor pouring out of Trevor’s mouth, there is a separate human odor in the room. It is strong and filled with fear and wonder. There is a familiar tinge to it and I slowly spin on my heels until I catch the cause of the aroma.
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Trevor says and the door closes behind me.
I walk further into the room and this strange man lifts his head. His dark hair covers his ears and part of his forehead. A bruise is healing on his left cheek and he stares at me as though he knows me. The look in his eyes tells me that we have met, I assume before the weaker Bridget allowed me to take over. Whoever he is, I must admit he looks rather tasty.
His pink flesh is inviting and the blood under that skin is warm and smells sweet. His dark eyes are appealing, matching the clean clothes on his back. He pulls himself to his feet and allows me the pleasure of checking out the rest of his body. His muscles are just the right size and he is a few inches taller than I am. There will come a time in my existence where I will be granted the privilege of devouring as many humans as I can, but I believe this one will be saved from my wrath.
“Bridget?” he questions, his deep voice is soothing to my ears.
“You know who I am?” I ask.
He nods, “Of course I know who you are. Don’t you recognize me?”
I walk closer and remove the shades from my eyes. I pin him against the wall and take another whiff of his luxurious aroma. There might have been a time in the last version of my life where I did know this man. I came to life without those memories so he is nothing more than a man of my desire.
“It’s me,” his voice is shaking, “Jason.”
“Jason.” I repeat, slowly.
His eyes go sad and he asks, “What did they do to you? Why don’t you remember me?”
I pass him a smile and shrug my shoulders, “She couldn’t handle the sadness anymore.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“You know,” I step backward away from him and motion to myself, “the girl who was supposed to save the world. She couldn’t take the depression that she allowed to enter our mind, so I stepped in and made things better for her. That past is gone now and I only see the present and the future I will make great. I am the monster she wanted to keep hidden from the world.”
Jason scrunches his eyebrows and scowls at me, “Why would you want to do that? Why would you want to forget about the people you care about? Your family and friends? Ryder?”
“You did not listen.” I say, moving toward him again, “She was the one who wanted to forget.”
He looks down at his feet, ashamed of me, “I just don’t understand. The Bridget I know wouldn’t want to forget anything. Especially not Ryder.”
I shrug once more and say, “Well, that Bridget is dead. She will never resurface so long as I am around.”
He shakes his head and runs a hand through his soft hair. He mentioned someone named Ryder as though he should be important to me. That name does not ring a bell or draw up a face in my head for me to think about. I only see blackness when I close my eyes and that is how it needs to remain.
Jason lets out a sigh, then opens his mouth to speak once more, “So, if you’re not the person I used to know, what is your plan? I know what the old you wanted to do and I’m sure that ship has sailed. So, what are we going to do to get out of here?”
I raise an eyebrow and say, “Where would we go?”
“To the city.” He states as though this is obvious. “Our plan was to get to the city and let the government know about the cure. You wanted to save the world with it.”
I take a short moment to consider his idea, then say, “Is that all?”
“What do you mean, is that all? You should be all over saving the world and finally bringing an end to the zombies and vampires.” He states.
I shake my head and shrug my shoulders. Jason seems aggravated and confused with me now. He looks to his feet, passing his eyes over the different shades of marble on the floor. His eyes turn up to the ceiling and he rubs his face with his hands. As though he has just come up with the perfect plan, he looks at me with hope in his eyes.
“There was something else you were planning.” He says.
“What would that be?”
“You wanted revenge on the man that hurt you the most in the world.” He replies and steps away from the wall.
“Trevor.” I whisper without taking any time to consider it.
“Exactly.”
“But why?”
He takes another step closer, “Because he hurt you. He killed somebody you love.”
I raise an eyebrow and ask, “Ryder?”
“Yes.” He answers, taking yet another step. “You two were in love, yet you were torn apart because you couldn’t touch or kiss him after being bitten. You were afraid you were going to hurt him and Trevor came along and killed him.”
That would explain the severe demand for revenge I feel every time I look at Trevor. I feel it coursing through my veins every chance our eyes meet. I picture myself ripping him apart limb from limb and leaving him to rot on the street like the disgusting corpse he deserves to be.
While I was lost in that magnificent thought of destroying Trevor, Jason has moved closer to me. He places a hand on my shoulder and looks me in the eye. I feel the warmth of his skin and it ignites a new feeling in my unbeating heat.
“You can kill him, ya know.” He suggests. “You can end his life and get us out of here. We can get to Des Moines and go on with saving the world.”
“Is that your plan?” I question.
He nods, “Yes, but it could be our plan.”
I smile and place my hand on the back of his neck. There is some kind of passionate attraction drawing me to want him. Not to bite into him or drink his blood, but physically want him. I move my head closer to his until I can feel his hot breath against my cheeks.
“This is my plan.” I whisper.
Before he can stop me or speak his words of protest, I press my lips against his and let the craving desire take over. I put my hand on his waist and force his body against mine. Our tongues caress one another and I feel both of his hands on my shoulders. I hold onto him and shove him backwards until his back meets with the wall and our kiss grows more intense. A flutter of emotions fill my mind and all I can think about is Jason. His thick black hair, his moist lips against my own and those mysterious hazel eyes that drive me to crave him all the more.
Wait a minute.
That last thought is not accurate.
I stop the kiss and open my eyes. He opens his as well and they are not the hazel shade that corrupted the blackness in my mind. They are dark enough to be black like the very soul deep inside of me. Why would my mind allow me to think of the wrong thing?
I step away from him and shake my head. He is frozen against the wall, his arms up in surrender and an expression of fear written on his face. His lips are quivering and he slowly wipes my saliva from his mouth on the back of his hand.
“Wh...what’s going to happen to me?” he stutters. “Am I going to turn into something like you?”
I glare at him, still trying to get past why my mind fucked up, “No, you idiot. You are still going to be the same human being you have always been.”
“But you, the old you, was afraid that she would hurt humans if she touched them like that.” his words are slowly erasing those hazel eye
s from my mind.
Again, I shake my head, “It doesn’t work like that. She was just too stupid to let me out long enough to let her see it. I am the cure and I know how it works and exactly how to use it.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, his fear is quickly fading.
I smile and nod my head slowly, “Why? Are you afraid that you enjoyed my kiss?”
He swallows hard, but doesn’t respond. He merely stands there, leaning against the wall and doesn’t reject me as I inch my way closer to him once more. I run my fingers through his soft hair and he places a hand on my waist. He wants this just as much as I do.
* * *
Jason is still sleeping in the bed beside me. His snores are quiet and his breathing is calm. He probably just experienced the best sleep he’s had in years thanks to the hell outside. This might not be his ideal place to live for a while, but I am sure he can’t complain with his head buried in comfortable pillows while lying under a thick blanket to keep him warm. As long as he stays with me, I will make sure he gets to live in comfort right by my side.
I sit up in the bed and look over my shoulder. His eyes are closed and he lies on his stomach with his arms tucked under the pillow. He refused to get intimate with me last night, other than the mind-blowing kissing that sent a spark shooting through my veins every time our lips met. He said it was too soon after Ryder’s death to do anything more than that. No matter how many times I tried to convince him that he was part of the old me, Jason still couldn’t bring himself to share long moments of intense passion with me.
I turn away from him and sigh. As much as I craved him last night, I could feel something holding me back. Whether it was his words of persuading me that it wasn’t a good idea or if some part of my subconscious was trying to tell me something, I could feel an annoying pinch in my head keeping me from gaining what I desired. I can guarantee that it won’t happen again and I will get what I want.
