A Loud and Dreamless Sleep
Page 5
Raven expected to be greeted and ushered over to the payment table, but that didn’t happen. No one seemed to care that she was in there at all. New customers would shuffle in oblivious of the suffering this place created, and put their money down to be an immortal vampire. Only the important parts were left out like how to conduct yourself with these newfound powers, or how to hunt, or how to cope with a prolonged life. None of these people had any idea what they were getting with any of this. Everyone was intoxicated by something and it was all fun and games.
She retreated to a dark corner and pulled out her cell phone. She texted only a few short words, “I am in.” Afraid to be discovered, she quickly put it away. Now that she had found the vampire mill, she needed to get the hell out of here. Raven was about to slip back into the hall when she happened to glance up and spotted the Offering she’d brought to the party the other night. He was standing by the cash desk next to the human taking all the money. Unfortunately, he spotted her, too.
He pointed right at her. “Hey, I know you. What are you doing here?”
Someone else yelled, “Stop her, she’s a vamp spy!”
It was definitely time to go. Raven darted out the door and pushed a few new customers out of her way as she fled. It wasn’t that she couldn’t have taken those two scrawny men at the cash box, but there were probably synthetic bodyguards around and she didn’t know how strong they might be. She took off running down the hall. Much to her dismay, her boots weren’t designed with sprinting in mind and it was hard to get traction with the smooth soles. She slid half a foot at the stop of the stairwell and almost took a nosedive onto the cement floor. She heard the footfalls of several people in pursuit but didn’t dare look down the hall.
Raven grabbed the thick handrail and launched down the first flight of stair. A synthetic vampire blocked her path on the landing. He was a tall, thin man with badly drawn tattoos of something on his right arm. She glared at him. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
“You’re not going to hurt anyone, pretty girl.” He smiled and she noticed his canine teeth. They weren’t the long, elegant fangs of a well-groomed vampire or a master, they were yellow and stunted. That was when she realized that the synthetics were so polluted with their tawdry beginnings, it physically showed.
Images of the vampire captives flashed through her mind and sent a shockwave of fear through her chest. There was no way this freak factory was going to do that to her. Raven wasn’t going to give any more warnings. With a flash of angry speed, she kicked up and connected with the synthetic’s face. He grunted and fell back into the wall. She rocketed past him but he wasn’t as stunned as she’d hoped. He grabbed her arm and yanked her back.
There was a loud crash upstairs and Raven could hear panicked yelling. The thunder of retreating feet echoed off the brick and down the stairwell. She grabbed the offending hand the synthetic still had on her arm and broke three of his fingers. He howled in pain and raised his other hand to slap her. But Raven was faster. She grabbed his throat and shoulder and threw him down the stairs. He landed hard at the bottom, groaning.
She caught a glimpse of someone dressed in black on the upper landing. A rush of escaping customers almost trampled her as they made their escape down the stairs. Two tripped and rolled down. They were kicked and stomped to the side by their fellow humans making their exit.
Then she spotted two master vampires she didn’t know making their way from room to room. Sometimes there were screams and then there was silence.
“Raven!” she heard Vadim call.
“I’m here,” she replied. “I’m on the stairs.”
He appeared at the top of the landing then rushed down to join her. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a warm embrace. She held him tight, relieved they had found each other in this nightmarish place. He pushed her hair away from her eyes and kissed her forehead. “You did it, my beloved. You did it.”
Raven hadn’t been this exhausted since she was alive. She rested her hand against Vadim’s chest and let the warmth of his embrace comfort her. “What’s going to happen to all the synthetic vampires?”
“They will have to be destroyed.” He stroked her hair like she was a child. The action was so sweet and tender it made her smile.
“What about the captive vampires? Will they have to be destroyed too?” she asked suddenly worried they might suffer the same fate.
“No. They can be rehabilitated. We have masters willing to work with them.” Then he added. “I was so worried about you, Raven.”
She pushed back and met his tender gaze. “Why, Vadim, I think you’re starting to fall in love with me.”
He placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve been in love with you since the first time we met.”
“Who would have thought you were such a romantic.”
“Come,” he said, taking her hand in his. “The council wants to hear your report. We should not keep them waiting. They will be very pleased with your bravery.”
Chapter 13
It was a strange night, a magical one. The evening was warm and humid with an occasional misting rain. Up in the inky sky the moon peaked out from fast moving clouds. Off in the distance a train whistle shattered the quiet but the sound was moving away rather than drawing near.
Raven stood next to her battered car trying to calm herself. They’re coming, I know they are. I hope they are, but what if they don’t? After all these years, what if Vadim can’t convince them to see me? How will I live with myself then? She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She had to trust him. She had to believe, even if the truth destroyed her. There was nothing left to do but wait.
A white Corolla was coming.
It cruised into the parking lot with deliberate ease and parked directly in front of her car. Raven held her breath and stared into the headlights. She didn’t dare move.
The first person to emerge was Vadim. He opened the driver’s door and took a step away from the car. From the interior light Raven could see there were two people with him; one in the front and one in the back. The passenger door opened and a woman stepped out. She wore a white T-shirt with an Avengers logo on it and pink sweat pants with flip flops. Raven immediately recognized her as her daughter, Sarah. Then a tall man exited the rear seat. He, too, was dressed casually and was ruggedly handsome even if he was partially bald.
The sight of her children filled Raven with such a rush of emotion she sank to her knees. Her heart twisted in her chest and a horrible sob tore it way from her throat. Tears ran from her eyes unchecked, wetting her cheeks. “I’m so, so sorry,” she said in barely a whisper. “Can you ever forgive me?”
Her kids approached her like she was a mirage. When they were only four feet away, they both stopped. It was Sarah who spoke first. “Vadim told us what happened. We thought he was lying.”
All Raven could manage was a shake of her head. “No, every word he told you was the truth.”
Her son Keith took a few cautious steps forward. “I hated you for so long. But now…I don’t know what to feel.”
“I get it, really I do. I just wanted the chance to tell you both how sorry I am. I should have tried to tell you what happened, but I didn’t know how. I know that’s no excuse, but that’s the truth. I have missed both of you so much.” Raven’s throat closed in and she couldn’t speak another word.
Raven expected them to rage at her. In fact, she was ready for it. But instead they moved in even closer. Sarah grabbed Raven by the front of her shirt and pulled her up. Then Sarah threw her arms around Raven and squeezed, sobbing into her neck. Before Raven could respond, Keith was there too, hugging and kissing her wet cheeks. They stayed like that for a long time.
As the night wore on they moved into the nearby train station and found a quiet corner to talk. Raven told them everything about the night she changed and what she couldn’t answer about being a vampire, Vadim did. Finally, the night came to an end and Vadim escorted them home.
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sp; Soon he returned alone. They sat in Raven’s car staring out at the damp night, Vadim in the driver’s seat and she still stunned in the passenger’s. She couldn’t believe how relieved she felt. “I am so grateful for what you’ve done.”
“It should have been done a long time ago,” he said.
“I’ve felt horrible for so long, I’m not sure what to do now.”
Vadim smiled flashing those long, threatening teeth. “Now we move forward, my dear.” Then he started the car, put it in gear, and skidded out of the parking lot.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michelle Marquis
Michelle Marquis is the pen name for science fiction and paranormal author Michelle O'Neill. Born in Los Angeles, California, Michelle has lived all over the US, and even some places in Canada. She is owned and cared for by her family (who tolerate her writing insanity), an aging Jack Russell and a beautiful German Shepherd named Kumari.
Michelle often writes like a fiend, and has authored many novels and short stories for the internet, both mainstream and erotic.
Check out all of her titles here.
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