“I’m going to message Pete, thanking him for getting rid of the traitors. I want them to think there are spies amongst the Order. I want them thinking that some of the Order members want to be turned. It will draw them out. They will actively start looking for us, instead of us chasing them.” I looked at my father first then to Willa. Both seemed to be impressed with the plan.
“That might actually work. Mihial would love nothing more than to tear The Order a part from the inside out. Good thinking.” Willa was on board, now it was my father’s turn.
“It is a good plan. I’ll get some men on it. It’ll look as if we are losing control of the Order. Once we can get him cornered by the decoys, the rest of us can swoop in and take him out once and for all.” My father seemed pleased with the plan. I looked back to Willa, she showed no emotion.
“Dad go call your men, get them on it. Make sure you make a list of the supposed decoys so everyone knows who is doing what. We can’t afford to mess this up. Mihial is smart. He has evaded you guys for this long so he has to have some tricks up his sleeve. Make sure everyone knows that Pete is not to be harmed. If he is, the person who harms him will answer to me personally. Do you understand that?” My father was not used to me making any kind of threats. He took it in stride though and went and made his calls.
I took Willa by the hand and smiled down at her. I had slid the note into her hand as I took it. I leaned in to kiss her cheek and when I did I whispered to her “Go use the bathroom and read it.” She smiled at the touch of my lips brushing against her creamy white cheek. She excused herself to the restroom.
When she came back she hugged me. “She must have known more than we do.” It was barely audible, but now Willa and I were on the right path. She knew her brother and how he played his games, I knew Pete and what would get through to him. Together Willa and I had a fighting chance at saving Pete.
My father came back to the kitchen after he had made his calls. I had made some fresh coffee seeing as though the sun was coming up. I poured a cup for myself and then offered some to Willa, she declined the offer. My father gratefully took his. “Is everything set on your end dad?” I asked as I sipped on the hot contents of my mug.
“Yes. Some were a little apprehensive about the plan, but I managed to persuade them. It was mostly the ones who were to be the bait that were apprehensive.”
“Understandably so. My brother is ruthless when he takes his victims, as you both have been witness to. He is not like a cat that plays with its food. He goes straight for the kill. He enjoys the fear that flows through his victim’s blood as he takes them.” It was a frank statement, but it was one I could have lived without ever hearing. I hated thinking of Willa as anything but a normal teenage girl. I hated to think about how she grew up, but as I thought about it, I guess she hadn’t grown up much different than myself. I had been learning fighting techniques my entire life, and seeing as though she was raised as a vampire, she would have been taught to fight like one too.
“Ok, I’m texting Pete now. Willa will the sun affect him? I know it doesn’t bother you or your brother much, but Pete is still transitional, so will it bother him?”
“No, not much at really. As long as he has not killed he is still basically human. He just has pointy fangs and craves blood now. Oh and he has my twisted brother medaling around in his brain. He’s more like a zombie than a free person. Why do ask?”
“Because I want to get this game going as soon as possible. It’s daybreak now. He may still be awake.”
Willa and my father looked at each. A passing look between them caught my attention. “You both think I’m acting to fast don’t you?”
“No. It’s just that, your mother just passed away only a few hours ago and now you are set to go out and destroy my brother and save your best friend. Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, grieving or something like that?” Willa was hesitant to speak her mind. I was shocked that she had said I should be sitting around crying somewhere. They didn’t understand that this was my way of grieving. I needed revenge for my mother.
“I’ll grieve when this is over.” I picked up my cell phone and sent the message to Pete. ‘Hey buddy, thanks for getting rid of the traitors for me. Those fucking bastards had planned on joining your side, you saved me the trouble of taking them out myself. I know there are others in The Order who want the same as those three, my mother told me just before she took her own life. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks….’ I hit the send button, and my message was delivered. Now I just had to wait for the reply.
20.
It had been days since I had sent the message to Pete. I had gotten no reply from him. In the meantime my father and I had been busy making the funeral arrangements for my mother. Every time we spoke of the upcoming visitation and funeral I had to leave the room and tell myself that it would all soon be over. I had taken to reading my ancestors actual journal. It really did have all the information on Willa and how she had come to be.
It also had a lot of information on Mihial. One part in particular, the psychic connection to his victims could be broken. That was definitely useful information. I had kept that to myself, although I had a feeling that Willa knew about it as well. When we were alone together we spoke of the note that my mother had left for me.
“I think she wanted you to make up our own mind about joining The Order. She was right about them. They are ruthless killers. They have spread hate for my people for generations. There are a few vampires who will not take a human life. They are kind and live among humans freely. That is until The Oder of the Dragon finds out about them and hunts them down and kills them without mercy.”
“I think you are right about what she wanted. I never have wanted to have anything to do with my father’s plans for me. I hadn’t even told him I never applied to college yet. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do after high school. All I knew was I was going to get out of here and out from under him. It didn’t matter what I had to do to do it, I would have done anything to be free of him.”
It was Christmas day. It was also the day of my mother’s funeral. I wore my best suit and made sure I had my sunglasses with me. I didn’t want people watching me cry. Willa entered the house wearing her long black coat and matching gloves with a scarf tied around her head. It was a bright day and the light reflecting off of the snow was probably going to be an issue for her. She was stunning in her long black gown. My father had bought it for her to wear to the funeral. I greeted her at the foot of the stairs. “You look beautiful, mom would have gushed over the dress and how you look in it.” Willa smiled a sad smile and wiped a tear from her eye. I hadn’t forgotten that she and my mother had become close over the time I had spent in the hospital.
“It is a beautiful dress, thank you. Is your father ready to go?” she asked.
“Ya, he’s just finishing up. Dad come on we’re going to be late!” I had yelled up the stairs. He came hurry down the steps dressed in his black suit. He looked like he was ready to go to a court hearing.
“Um if you two don’t mind, I have a few things for us to do before we go.” Willa and I exchanged puzzled looks. He took us into the living room and made us sit on the couch. “I know today we lay your mother to rest, but it’s also Christmas, and as you know John, Christmas was your mother’s favorite holiday. So in her honor and memory, I have gifts for each of you.” He rummaged behind an old chest that sat in the corner of the living room and pulled out four enormous boxes that had been professionally wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. He handed two of them to me and the other two to Willa.
“Well go on open them.” He said enthusiastically. I opened the first box and inside found a large bow and a case of silver tipped arrows. Willa looked at me, then opened her first box. Inside of it was a bulletproof vest. “So no one can pierce your caring heart my dear.” My father stated. I had to admit these were the strangest Christmas presents I had ever seen. They were practical though considering all things aside.
In t
he next box I opened a set of wooden stakes silver tipped, lay neatly in a belt. This was not the kind of Christmas I had planned, and I was dreading what would be in Willa’s next box. She opened it carefully not wanting to tear the paper. She lifted the lid and gasped. Tears spilled from her ocean blue eyes. I looked inside of the box. I was shocked at what the box contained. Willa lifted the contents out gingerly and stood to hold it up in front of her. My father had given her my mother’s wedding dress. Willa was speechless.
“I couldn’t take this. I just, but don’t you want to keep it as a token of your wife?”
“She would have wanted you to have it. I am sure of it.”
Willa walked to my father and hugged him gently.
“We should get going or we’ll be late.” I finally managed to say. We all went out to the waiting limo and gathered inside. The ride to the church was quick. I was about to enter and then remembered the story my ancestor wrote, and how vampires could not step foot on holy ground. I stopped short of the first step and turned to look at Willa, “I have my human soul remember. I can enter here.” She whispered in my ear. I was still getting used to her being a vampire but not a vampire and having a human soul. It was all very confusing at times. We took our seats at the front of the church and waited for the rest of the people to show up. I hated every minute of it.
I got tired of hearing how sorry everyone was that mother had died. “I’m sorry for your loss” I mean what is that? The go to phrase for people who are too stupid to come up with something better to say? Why not say “hey your mom was awesome, I’m going to miss her and her lousy casseroles! Or your mom sure knew how to dance…” Just say anything but I’m sorry for your loss, it was all too generic and it all seemed so fake.
I needed this to end quickly. My temper was rising. After a couple of hours it was time to head to the cemetery to lay my mother to rest for the last time. I stood listening to the preacher talk about God and how his son died for our sins, the typical stuff you would hear at a sermon, but then I heard something else.
“I’m sorry for your loss John. I loved your mom like my own.” I stood frozen where I was. I had had my head down pretending to pray along with the other guests. Pete had snuck up on me. I looked up and there he stood. He looked terrible. I didn’t know what to say. “I just wanted to come say goodbye to her, and tell you that I am sorry for everything that has happened.” Pete sounded like Pete. The real Pete, not the crazy possessed Pete. I reached over and squeezed Willa’s hand to get her attention. She glanced over at Pete. Her eyes wide with shock. She moved around to the other side of him. We had him blocked between the two of us. Luckily my father had not seen him so far.
“You are going to come with us and you will not fight, do you understand me Pete?” Willa spoke in a low voice. To prove a point she grabbed his hand a squeezed it, and by that I mean she Willa squeezed it with her vampire strength behind it. Pete winced from the pain and nodded. Willa refused to release her hold on him. The ceremony was over and people were filing out of the cemetery. Willa had dragged Pete to the limo. My father spoke to the last few well-wishers before he turned to make his way to the limo. I approached him before he got to the car.
“You know dad it is Christmas and I do have a present for you as well as a Christmas wish”. He looked at me funny.
“Ok what is it?” he asked.
“If we find Pete, you and the Order can’t hurt him. Promise me this. I mean truly honestly promise me this one thing. Try to remember that Pete is innocent in all of this and he is like a brother to me.”
“Ok. I thought I already had agreed to this a week ago, but for your sake I formally agree to your terms. Merry Christmas. Now let’s get in the car and go home.”
I smiled and said “Ok, but remember you promised.” My father entered the limo and almost had a heart attack at the site before him. Pete sat across from my father. Willa still had a firm grip on him.
I climbed in next to my father and took my seat. The limo took off and headed for home. “How?” My father finally managed to ask.
I looked to Pete for the answer. “I wanted to say good bye to her. When I heard she had died, something inside of me broke. I felt sorrow instead of hunger and pain. I could finally think freely for myself after all this time. I came to be with John as he put his mom to rest. How did it happen? I never learned that part.”
“She took a whole bottle of her sleeping pills. The night you dropped off your welcome home gift.” I answered. Pete put his head to his hands and cried.
“I didn’t know what I was doing! He made do all sorts of bad things! He scares me. He’s always in my head talking and talking or laughing at me. I couldn’t turn it off, but then he told me, he told me your mother killed herself. Something in here” he pointed to his head “just snapped. I came back to my senses. I took off while he was out looking for the people you said who wanted to be turned.”
“So you somehow broke the psychic connection between the two of you?” My father asked.
“I think so. I haven’t heard him in three days now. By the way do you have anything to eat? I’m starving.” He was staring at my neck as he said it.
“Willa what can he have? Do you know anything about this sort of stuff?” I asked. Willa looked shocked.
“No. I have never heard of a connection being broken without the master releasing it or killing the master. I suppose we could try real food. One thing’s for sure, he needs to stay away from human blood or its game over for him.”
We arrived back home and we all filled out of the rented limo. My father tipped the driver and he sped off quickly. Once inside the house Willa took Pete to the kitchen and tied him to one of the chairs. I took out some left over roast beef and put it in front of him. He ate it like it was his last super. Then soon the whole thing was coming back up. Regular food wasn’t going to cut it.
“Pete my friend we’re going to have to get you some sort of animal blood. Do you have a preference?” Pete looked horrified at the thought of drinking animal blood.
“You mean to tell me this whole time Mihial hasn’t been feeding you, how would you survive?” My father asked.
Pete looked exhausted but he told my father what he wanted to know “I’m not sure sir. All I knew was hunger and pain, and I had no control over my mind or body. It was as if he was living in my own skin.” Pete shivered at the thought.
Willa marched outside and was gone for a few minutes. When she returned she held in her hand a raven. It squawked wildly in her hands, desperately trying to escape her crushing grip. “You need to eat something. Take it.” She thrust the bird into Pete’s hands. He looked at the bird, terrified at the thought of needing to kill it to eat. Then the hunger took over and he sank his teeth into the bird and the bird went limp in his hands. It was over quickly. He finished with the bird and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
“That was disgusting, but I’m feeling better now.”
“Willa can you tell if he truly is free from your brother?” I asked her. She walked over to Pete and cradled his head in her hands looking deeply into his eyes. An eternity seemed to have passed between them. She released him and stepped back.
“He isn’t fully gone yet no. So we’ll need to talk in private, but Pete needs to be confined somewhere Mihial can’t get to him.”
“I have the perfect place.” My father spoke up. “I’m sure Kelly would like the company.”
Pete perked up at the mention of Kelly’s name.
21.
My father and Willa took Pete to the secret hiding place where they had Kelly stashed. They kept them in separate cages however. Kelly was full vampire and Pete was not. Kelly would kill him if she got the chance.
Once they returned we all went back to our original plan. We had learned from Pete that Mihial was actively seek members of the Order. That was working to our advantage. Mihial was under the impression that he could build an army of vampire’s right here in Castle Rock.
Pete and Kelly
were safely out of harm’s way as well, now all we had to do is wait for him to make his move. A week had passed and there had been no sign of Willa’s brother. I visited with Pete daily, the animal blood they had been providing him in large quantities seemed to be making him healthy. I made sure I avoided those times of the day when it was feeding time. I checked in on Kelly as well. She was being fed from blood bags. She had refused the animal blood and had almost starved herself to death until my father ordered that she be given human blood. He felt a responsibility to her now that her father had been murdered by her master. The news had almost no effect on her.
New Year’s Eve had come quickly in that week. I hadn’t been prepared for it. In my house we normally held a giant party for the celebration, but this year there would be no celebrating. It was just going to be a quiet evening in with Willa, and my father watching movies and eating popcorn. Willa had picked out some good scary movies and I had picked out some comedies. The night just didn’t feel right without my mom here, or Pete sitting next to me making remarks about hot older women.
“A dollar for your thoughts.” Willa had said as I stared at the blank screen. We had just finished watching one of the movies I had picked out and I was reminiscing about past parties and my mother.
“I was just thinking how empty the house feels without her here. I suppose it will just take time to adjust to it.” I sighed. No sooner than I finished telling Willa what was on my mind, a body came crashing through the large bay window. Glass flew in all directions, I covered my head and face. Willa was on her feet instantly. My father came running into the room with his gun.
He looked around at the broken glass, then to the body on the floor that lay motionless. Willa was the first to approach the body, my father moved with her, he was determined to protect her as he would me. It was one of the guards that he been posted outside. His throat had been ripped out and he had been drained dry.
The Immortal Design Page 11
