by Andrew Lynch
It was all I knew, and suddenly my mouth was filling with it. More and more until I choked on it. There was so much! It couldn’t fit in my mouth, but it still wasn’t enough!
Something from the real world came to me. The pulse of life pressed against my mouth, beginning to fade.
Suddenly it was ripped from my grasp.
Reality flooded back in, and I saw the room again. I saw Mr. Anderton looking at me in horror. He held a shotgun pointed at my face.
What had happened?!
My hands were covered in blood. But it wasn’t mine.
I saw his body lying on the floor.
Oh God. Had I…?
No. No, I wouldn’t have done that! No way!
I heard the click of the shotgun’s hammer as it hit the shell.
I saw myself moving in a room, frozen still, as the power of a freshly fed Draugr spilled out of me.
I looked at Rick, lying on the floor. He was so pale. I didn’t think anyone could live looking like that.
But I realized I didn’t care. I didn’t care because all I could see was the blood on his neck.
With the shotgun pellets half way between Mr. Anderton and the window, I was in no danger and no rush.
I forced my legs to take me away. I needed to hide.
Not from them, but from myself.
Chapter 18
Mr. Anderton
I kicked open my front door with the last remaining vestiges of Lyfe.
I’d burned the rest by running at a full sprint back to my car at the entrance to the forest. I was just lucky to not have picked up any of the local police as I’d sped home with Rel turning my back seat into a modern art installation titled “What I’d do to my ex if I ever saw them again”.
‘Woah, dad, calm down!’ Richard shouted. ‘I’d have opened the door.’
I ignored him and rushed into the living room, placing Rel down as softly as I could on the sofa.
I hadn’t even had time to think, but I’d taken her back here. It was closer than the hospital, and safer for everyone if somehow that Fiend had followed.
Richard looked in, and saw me covered in blood. Most of it was Rel’s, but the stones had cut the side of my face up. I looked a state. Not to mention the very obvious guns I had hanging from me, and the tactical vest.
‘Dad?! What’s happened?’ he shouted.
There was no time to explain. She could slip away any second. ‘Nothing. Stay here and talk to her.’
‘What?!’ I didn’t need this right now. Rel was dying. ‘It’s not “nothing”. Shouldn’t we call an ambulance? She’s bleeding!’
‘I can handle this. I just need something from upstairs.’
I left and took the steps four at a time. I turned to the guest room and pushed on the door. Of course it was locked. I took a step back and kicked just below the door handle. The door snapped open, and I burst in, heading straight to the cupboard.
I opened it up and took out the steel box. I snatched a vial of Lyfe and, not thinking, tossed the box aside. I heard the other vials shatter. Too late now.
I rushed downstairs.
Richard was hugging Rel, holding her up. Oh no, he could be doing more damage. She needed rest - and a miracle wouldn’t hurt. Wait… no, Rel was standing up. Supporting Richard. How was that even possible?
My feet touched down on the landing, and I slowed. What was I seeing? There was blood everywhere. Rel had been bleeding heavily, but why was it on Richard?
Richard’s knees buckled.
Rel held him up as if he weighed nothing.
She was chewing on his neck.
I leaped into action and grabbed the back of Rel’s shirt, throwing her backwards.
Rick hit the floor like a lump of meat. Without thinking, I pulled up my shotgun and stuck it in Rel’s face.
I hesitated. Was this right? It just didn’t make sense. She was just a normal girl! Had the Fiend done something to her?
No.
The flash of fangs I’d seen in the park. The whiff of Draugr. I hadn’t wanted to believe it. I’d gone against my instincts and ignored the signs. Now Richard was lying on the floor behind me, a gaping wound in his neck.
Rel opened her eyes and they locked with mine. They were two large, black orbs, and her bloody mouth bared pristine fangs.
I pulled the trigger.
She disappeared.
Shit. A Draugr.
To stand any chance against her I’d need this vial of Lyfe. I popped the top and pressed it to my lips.
But Richard needed it more than I did.
I dropped to my knees next to the bloody, seemingly lifeless body of my son.
I squeezed his mouth open and poured the vial of Lyfe into his mouth.
He didn’t swallow.
‘Come on, Richard.’
Keep talking. Hearing was the last thing to go. Keep talking to him.
‘Swallow, Richard.’
Nothing.
I gently shook him, not knowing what else to do.
‘Come on, son. Just swallow it. It will keep you alive until an ambulance arrives.’
Nothing.
‘Richard! Come on, Richard!’
Nothing.
‘Son. Son!’
Nothing. Oh God.
‘SWALLOW THE FUCKING LYFE!’
Chapter 19
Reliquiae
I pushed at the bunker’s large steel door, and in spite of its useless rusted hinges, it swung open as though a truck had hit it. The loud clang inside the bunker echoed out into the forest. But no one ever came this way, so it didn’t matter.
Jumping down the steps directly onto the hard concrete floor seemed natural this time. And finally, there in the dark and the silence, I was able to relax a little.
When I’d run away from Rick’s house I’d intended to head towards my home. I didn’t know where else to go. I was a monster! But after a couple of blocks I passed people who presumably were walking along on the sidewalk. To me, they moved like they were wading through molasses. I was still moving at super speed, but the problem was that I couldn’t slow myself down.
I couldn’t go home. If I couldn’t slow down, then I also couldn’t control my strength. I’d be a danger to mom and dad just like I was to Rick. And the bunker door knocked almost off its hinges proved I was right.
I moved to the side of the room, just like when I’d come here last to test myself. God, it was only three days ago, and already my whole life had changed.
The small chip was still missing from the wall. I had been scared then, and I was scared now. But now I was also angry. Angry with myself. I pulled back my fist, and attacked the wall.
My arm buried itself to the elbow, and the bricks cracked and flew outwards, peppering against me. I didn’t feel any pain.
I looked in wonder at my powerful hands.
They were covered in blood. Rick’s blood.
I collapsed against the wall, and sank down to my knees.
Oh my God, what had I done? Had I felt Rick’s pulse stop? I think he was… No, I couldn’t even think it. I couldn’t have done that! It hadn’t been me! One minute I was unconscious, then the next Mr Anderton was saying comforting words to me, and then he had a shotgun in my face. There was no in-between to those moments. Anything that I’d done hadn’t been me!
Or maybe that was the real me? The ‘me’ that came out to play if you took away society’s constraints.
I shuffled into a corner and tried to cry, but no tears came out.
All I had wanted to do was learn to control myself so I could be normal and do whatever it was normal people did. Vampire instincts sucked! I didn’t want to have to worry about killing people!
Man, I was tired. It had all been too much. Too much had happened too quickly. My belly was full. Oh God Rel don’t think about why. I closed my eyes, knowing that I was safe in the bunker, and that others were safe from me. For now.
I jerked my head up off my chest. I had no idea how long I’d be
en asleep, but my cheeks were damp. I must have cried while I slept.
Something had woken me. The sound of feet kicking aside leaves from outside. People were coming into the bunker.
Jeez, The Grind would have to open a shop here, it was getting so much use. So much for peace, quiet, and safety. Was it going to be Ariel again? Maybe Erin? I hoped it wasn’t Johnny. I really couldn’t handle him right now.
“What’s this place?” said a girl’s voice.
Oh God. I changed my mind. Johnny would have been much better than this.
“I dunno, some old building,” Sasha said, in answer to Jessica’s question.
“Let’s look around,” Jessica said.
“Nah. It’s too dark in there. And we’re not far enough away. Let’s keep walking.”
Yes, good, keep walking. Perfect.
I heard some more rustling before Jessica said, “Yay! Already thought of that!” A beam of light pierced the darkness of the bunker. “I saw this last time, and I figured next time we could go exploring.”
Sasha made a bored noise implying that she was very unconvinced.
Damn it. Just what I needed right now. I was sat in a corner of a dark abandoned building, with two high school cheerleaders about to find me breaking up walls and itching to bite them. If SCIM wasn’t already going to track me down because of Rick, then this was almost enough on its own to make them want to give me a stern talking to.
Okay, which would be better? If I tried to hide and they found me, or if I made myself known before they stumbled over me? Nope, I wasn’t ready to start fulfilling all of the vampire clichés and lose control, attacking them from the darkness of an abandoned building.
“Hey guys!”
They both screamed.
Okay, that was about what I expected.
“It’s a ghost!” Jessica shrieked from just outside.
They had both been standing at the top of the stairs, and I guess had just jumped back out of the door when they heard me.
“Ghosts don’t exist. It’s probably just some weird homeless guy.”
They pointed the flashlight back in and waveringly centered it on me.
I waved at them apologetically.
“Is that…?” Sasha sounded appalled. “Oh my God, it is. And she’s covered in dirt up to her elbows. Let’s leave the dirty little monster alone.”
Dirt? I looked at my hands. They were still covered in Rick’s blood. I hid them behind my back. I needed to keep myself together.
Jessica hit Sasha on the shoulder. “Be nice.” Then she turned to me. “Hey, Rellie. What are you doing here? It’s a bit creepy.”
“Rel is fine,” I muttered. “Nothing much. I just found it and thought I’d look around.” Even to me that sounded lame.
Jessica stepped down into the bunker, dragging Sasha by the hand.
“No. Let’s go,” Sasha whispered to Jessica.
Jessica turned to her and said through gritted teeth, “We’re being nice to people. Deal with it.”
These two had such a weird friendship. I totally didn’t get them. Sasha rolled her eyes, and was clearly deciding whether to pout or not.
“So, person hiding in an abandoned creepy, probably haunted, building. Good work at practice yesterday. You didn’t knock anyone over.” The effort of being nice to me was clearly difficult for Sasha.
Yesterday? So it’s Wednesday now?! I must have slept through the night. My parents would ground me for the rest of the year. More worryingly than that, was that it was the least of my problems.
Jessica shrugged, accepting that was the best she was going to get out of Sasha when it came to talking to me, and added, “Really, huge improvement! You must have been working hard to come so far in such a short space of time. That’s what Sasha means. Right?”
“Ehh. If that’s what you want me to mean.”
“Thanks guys. I wouldn’t say I practiced that hard, but… big changes, that’s for sure.”
“So what’s in this place?” Jessica asked.
“Oh, nothing much. That’s why we chose it.”
“Who chose it?” Sasha asked, snapping her head to me. “Who’s ‘we’?”
Damn it, Rel. Keep it together. “Nothing,” I muttered. “No-one”.
They both walked carefully down the steps and started looking around the bunker, sweeping the flashlight all over the place.
“Well, nothing interesting in here. This has been a huge let down,” Jessica said.
Sasha looked at me, “Yeah, she is.”
“Stop it! Rellie is just fine. I don’t need this Sasha on my morning walk.”
Really though, why did these two spend so much time together?
Sasha sighed, and looked… defeated. I think maybe she was actually going to accept that she was in the wrong! Wow, this was a first.
She walked over to me. “How are things with Rick?”
Actually, I think I killed him by drinking his blood. “Yeah. He’s fine. I haven’t seen him for a while.”
“Well… he seems too weird for me. Good luck with him.”
That would have been an amazing thing to hear about twelve hours ago.
My face fell as I remembered Rick lying in his own blood. “Thanks.”
Sasha looked as though she really didn’t want to keep talking, but she went for it anyway, “What’s wrong? I said he’s all yours.”
“Nothing.”
“Hey, look, I’m not saying anything’s guaranteed, but with me out of the picture… let’s just say, he went on and on about you when I met up with him. It was super tedious.”
My heart fluttered despite what I now knew. “It’s just… I made a mistake about him. I don’t think it would work out. Really, it doesn’t matter”
She shrugged and started back up the steps. “Okay. Jessica, I’m done here. Let’s get this walk done.”
She left, and for a second Jessica and I stood in silence.
Eventually I broke it. “I’ve got so much happening to me right now, and absolutely zero head space to spare, but I have to ask. Why?”
Jessica smiled big and bright. “She makes me happy. At least, when she’s not around other people.”
My brain was not up for processing this kind of information right now. “You two…”
Her teeth stayed flashing her smile, but it left her eyes. “She doesn’t really want anyone to know. I go along with it for now.”
“Wow. I never knew.”
“That’s the point!” She booped my nose. “Anyway, I better get back to her. Good luck with Rick! Obviously she was never really interested in him. Just part of her ‘persona’ she puts on.”
She was about to hug me goodbye, but looked at my ‘dirty’ arms just before she made contact. Instead she just waved and headed up the stairs. At the top she turned back around and said, “Oh, and of course, if we could keep this between us, that would be great!”
As she spun back around at the top of the steps, I saw it happen. Her foot slipped out from under her, and her arms flailed. She scrabbled to grab on to something, but her hand bounced off the metal door.
She fell.
In a perfect world, she’d be fine. She probably would have lived. It was only a few yards. She’d land on her feet, maybe twist her ankle, at worst break an arm. But actually she was falling head first onto concrete. She was going to die.
No.
I wouldn’t let it happen. I’d make my Draugr power do something good!
I jumped into action, and as if I’d been doing this my entire life… it worked. Time slowed, just as I’d wanted it to. I could feel that time wasn’t slowing as much as it had last time. I wasn’t outrunning a bullet here, but it was just enough. Three steps and I was beneath her. I caught her and swung her upright, my Draugr muscles allowing me to control her fall without a problem.
I placed her on her feet.
I grinned with pleasure. This is what I could be. Not some monster that couldn’t control herself. I could help people. I
was practically Superman! Or Supergirl! If Supergirl had a craving for human blood.
And then I saw it. She’d cut her hand on the metal door. It had all happened so fast that the blood hadn’t welled up yet, but I saw the rent flesh of her hand. I knew it would come out soon. I could smell it.
I became aware again. I could hear her pulse. Smell her life essence. Holding her like this, she was powerless. I mean, she was falling to her death anyway, so what did it matter if she died because I drained her dry, instead of cracking her head open? And I was certain that if I did something to her, Sasha would come back in, and then I’d have two meals. Oh, this would be ever so easy.
As quick as the thought came, it was gone. I wasn’t hungry. I knew it was something I still didn’t have any control over, but I’d had my fill already. Thanks to lucky timing, Jessica got to live.
I willed for my powers to leave me.
Jessica screeched and stumbled. “What the hell!”
“Don’t worry, I caught you. Just like a stunt jump in practice, right? Are you okay?”
“I… I think so.” She grabbed the cut on her hand, which was now dripping with blood.
Sasha ran in. “What happened?” She looked at me suspiciously.
“I slipped,” said Jessica weakly. “I don’t feel so good.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I caught her. But she cut her hand. You should take her to the hospital just in case. Get a shot maybe, that door’s really rusty.”
Sasha ran down the stairs and looked at the bleeding hand. She pushed Jessica’s blonde hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. Then she looked at me and scowled. Probably just her natural reaction to me.
“Okay. Let’s go, quickly,” Sasha said.
“Thanks,” Jessica said to me. She was looking pale and faint from shock.
“Don’t mention it. I guess the cheer leading practice helped!”
With that, they limped up the steps, and left.
Adrenaline rushed through me, and I laughed to release it. I’d just saved a life. Without me, Jessica would have died. I had saved her! I jumped up and down, trying to use up this sudden burst of energy. I’d controlled my abilities!
