Immortal Awakening

by Shana J Caldwell

  Free entry

  Witness the execution of vampires

  This may never happen again, so get down there before all the spaces are filled!

  Registered and Unregistered welcomed!

  VH

  Vampires? Execution? Surely this must be wrong, some sort of spelling error or a play to entertain people. My heart rate picks up speed in my chest, surely this couldn’t be real? I sigh as I stuff the pamphlet into my backpack. Curiosity always gets the better of me.

  I go back the way I’d come, stopping at the intersection. Instead of heading left and going home, I go right.

  I could only think of one abandoned warehouse. The sun was high in the sky, indicating it was already lunchtime. Great, I’d get there just as it would finish.

  A large part of me doubts they would be real. What sort of vampires would come to a town like this? It was constantly sunny and there were barely any places to hide. In the distance a crowd of people spills onto the road. It looks like I’d made an accurate guess. I stop under the shade of a tree, observing the warehouse. I quickly finish the last few mouthfuls of sausage, savouring the warmth as it hits my belly.

  The wooden structure had seen better days. Its broken windows covered in dust, the once-red paint now more of a dull orange. The two entrance doors were wide open. I sigh again as I hitch my bag higher onto my shoulders. Time to see what the commotion was about.

  CHAPTER 2

  The dust in the old warehouse was nearly suffocating, layering every square inch of the cement floor; filling the air as people scuffed their feet along it as they moved. The low murmur of the crowd huddled in front of me was the only sign of life, apart from the three individuals strung up on the stage. But I guess you wouldn’t classify them as the living. They knelt with their hands behind their backs, cuffed to a silver pole; barely moving, heads bowed.

  They were different from anyone else I’d ever seen; I looked at them fascinated, drawn in by their presence. I was captivated by the soft tugging in my chest that wanted to know more. I didn’t know what I was expecting when I decided to come along to this execution. Everyone in town was kissed by the sun from the long hours they worked outdoors, their tanned skin reminding me of caramel. The three individuals onstage seemed to glow because of how dark it was in here, me along with them.

  I receive multiple looks as I look around; my skin was as white as the ones on stage. I cross my arms over my chest, not needing any added attention drawn to me. With the hotter weather I’d struggled to wear my usual long shirts.

  I try to make out their details from where I stand. The first one was a thin girl with long brunette curls that flowed around her torso.

  The second was a male; his short, blonde side shaved hair complimented his thin figure. The last one seemed different from the other two. His pitch-black hair waved around his bowed head. His physique was pure muscle and threatened to burst the seams of his shirt. They were all exceptionally tall as well. Their matching black outfits were caked in crimson blood. The crowd watched in awe. Stunned, like a deer in headlights. They’d never seen anything like this before.

  I keep to the back of the crowd; I didn’t possess the stomach to watch. I don’t know why I’d bothered to come here. What they were doing was murder and everyone except me seemed to agree with it. One of the leader’s assistants strolls onto the stage. He paces back and forth looking at a sheet of paper in his hand, his white suit crinkles with each movement. He finally stops in the middle, blonde curls waving around his wicked, sharp face.

  “I suppose you’re all wondering who these people are. Well, they’re not people; I’m just feeling generous today. All the folklore that you’ve heard about vampires is real. Today we have evidence of this.” A massive grin appears on the sleaze bag’s face. I’d been on the receiving end of his bad temper many times. He’d taken my last two strikes off me after I tried to stop a guard from beating up an old unregistered man that was unable to move from starvation. I received the beating instead while the assistant dumped the man down into the sewers. Breathless gasps sweep around the crowd. They all seem to take a few steps back, afraid they might become the vampire’s next meal. Their eyes never falter. He paces the stage back and forth; the air slowly becoming harder to breathe.

  “These ‘vampires’ are here today because they have committed crimes. They slaughtered five soldiers and a family of three. Drained them of their blood and soul, until they were just a pile of skin and bone on the ground. The soldiers killed were the watchers on the west flank wall. They were torn to shreds. A ceremony of remembrance will be held at dusk in Times Square.

  “The vampires then moved on and preyed on a small family a couple hundred yards away. Of course, these soulless demons preyed upon them when they were most vulnerable…while asleep. Maybe they were afraid of the fight that the family would put up against them? We’ll just never know.” He takes a breath and looks at the crowd, scanning it. He walks past each one of the vampires slowly, taking his time to spit on them. It surprises me when they don’t react. I sure as hell would have.

  “You all know what must be done.” He slowly pulls a silver pistol from his jacket. He holds it up to show the crowd.

  “Now you see this isn’t your ordinary gun. When fired, it sprays a silver fire. It’s lethal to vampires. They turn to ash in a matter of minutes. I would advise anyone who doesn’t want to watch to leave at this moment.” He stands there and waits. When no one leaves he turns and points the pistol at the vampire girl. She keeps her head bowed. It was probably for the best.

  Suddenly a bright silver light explodes from the pistol and the old warehouse is filled with agonising screams. I can’t help but feel bad; the vampires were probably doing the family a favour; if they lived out of town they were most likely shunned from society and struggled to get through each day. The female vampire thrashes and screams, trying to escape her undeniable fate. Her beautifully curled hair erupts in flames only to disappear in a matter of seconds. I put a hand over my mouth and nose and try to filter out the smell of burning flesh.

  Her clothes turn to ash next. I peer over the crowd and examine her; her skin starts to melt; starting with her face and then slowly spreading down her body. What’s left of her thrashes with the last trace of energy she has. She lets out one more ear-piercing screech before her skeleton finally stops moving; she is just a pile of ash. The assistant walks over and kicks the ash, the silver cuffs falling to the floor while it scatters and mingles with the dust.

  “Ain’t so tough now, are we?” he muses. The crowd cheers with all they have, the assistant raises his head proudly. The blonde vampire raises his head as well. I couldn’t define his features but I could tell he was savage. A roar drowns the sound of the crowds cheering out, fangs glinting through the thrashing of the vampire’s head. The assistant bursts out laughing, replacing the pistol for a silver stake.

  “Now, this is the part I like. I’m not sure if any of you have heard of this before, but we like to stake the vampires in the gut and drain their blood. The hunger within will overtake them, turning them into mindless beasts. Nothing will sustain them, it drives them mad. So now, let us see what happens.” Without another thought, the assistant lunges at the blonde vampire and plunges the stake deep into his stomach.

  Agonising screams flow from his mouth as the assistant steps away. Finally, they subdue to become soft sobs. Agony rippling across his face. A part of me wants to help him, but if I did I would receive a death sentence also. It was illegal to help vampires, no matter what the situation may be.

  I don’t hate vampires. I’d just figured that since I’d never seen one they didn’t exist. I’d heard plenty about them from the late-night stories, and there was never a happy ending for them. That was until now, of course. The assistant lets out a deep chuckle at the blonde vampire. A poke here and there, tormenting him. Crimson red blood pools around the man’s bowed knees. The assistant sighs softly, pouting his lips.

  “This isn�
��t enough.” He snatches out a syringe from inside his jacket. It looks like it holds a silver substance from a distance. My suspicion is confirmed when he injects the liquid into the vampire’s limp neck. I take a step forward out of instinct. His head shoots up.

  “HELP!” He starts thrashing, screaming. His skin begins cracking from underneath; blue lines appearing all over his body. His screaming never wavers, repeating the same mantra, over and over. Help.

  It’ll haunt me for the rest of my life. With all the commotion going on I’d forgotten about the boy with black hair. I look over at him, I retreat a step back in shock. His pitch-black eyes pierce mine. I stand there in a daze; his eyes seem to search my soul. I can’t glance away. He blinks slowly. His arms twitch slightly and he’s gone.

  “Catch him!” the assistant shrieks with fury, forgetting about the dying vampire. Everyone presses towards the exit. This was my chance if I wanted to do something. I cling to the wall and slip along until I’m near the stage. I look around to make sure no one would notice. The assistant was at the back of the crowd, shoving people aside. The exit wasn’t big enough for all of them to fit through at once but he wouldn’t accept that as an excuse.

  I look around for the black-haired boy, but he is nowhere to be seen. I run up onto the stage, behind the blonde vampire who was still sobbing in agony. I hesitate before stepping too close; I couldn’t break the metal chain holding him, not without help. If the assistant was right, as soon as he was free I’d be a meal. I really hoped he wasn’t. I was basically becoming a human kebab. Pushing my fear aside, I knew it was a risk I’d have to take.

  I gently pull him closer to the pole, giving him some slack. He collapses to the ground in a ball. I stand there looking at him, amazed by how different he looked up close. He looks up at me, a steady flow of blood coming from his eyes. His body convulses as he threw up a thick black sludge. I knelt beside him, lifting his head slightly so he wasn’t covered in the black sludge. I risk a glance at his stomach. His shirt was torn where the stake had pierced him. The silver handle protruding from his body caught my attention.

  “I’m sorry, this might hurt a little,” I whisper as I wrap my hands around the end of the stake. They slip the first couple of times, blood coating my hands in the process. When I finally have a good grip, I heave once and it slips out. He arches his back in pain. I throw the murderous thing as far away as humanly possible. He lies there with his eyes closed, blood still spilling from them. I rip off a piece of my already torn shirt and slowly lean over to dab under his eyes. I touch his right arm gently; his ice-cold skin only causes me to hold on tighter. I couldn’t believe it. I was touching a vampire. I look at his chest. It didn’t seem to move up and down. It just stayed in place, like he was holding his breath. Slowly, he manages to kneel. He opens his eyes and looks at me; his black, glazed-over eyes stare at me.

  “Thank…you,” he manages to rasp. He coughs again and lies back down on his side.

  “What is my saviour’s…name?” He shuts his eyes and sighs. The blue cracks under his skin slowly begin to fade. I draw in a deep breath, my heart jumping in my chest and fear rattling my bones.

  “I’m Ali,” I breathe out. A grim smile appears on his cracked lips.

  “Nice to meet you, Ali. I’m Zuriel.” He blinks slowly, eyeing me up. “Why on earth would a human save a vampire?” I shrug. I wasn’t entirely sure what had given me the courage. I still couldn’t believe I was up here myself. I suck on my lower lip, thinking of what to say.

  “Murder is murder. Even though you’re different, it’s still the same,” I speak clearly. He nods. I crinkle my nose at the stench of blood.

  “You, my girl, are very smart and very foolish. Definitely a blonde.” He chuckles gently, referring to my ash-blonde hair that shines white in the sun. “Ali, I need a favour.” I gulp. I knew there’d be a catch, there always was.

  “Yeah, okay. What is it?” I shuffle closer to him.

  “I need you to pull my shirt up.” I hesitate and look down at his shirt. I’d never seen a male human without a shirt and now I was undressing a male vampire. I hold in my sigh as I slowly pull up his shirt to expose the gash the stake had made. The area around the wound was a sickly purple and the wound itself had blistered around the edges and was slowly gushing out a thick black liquid.

  “Um, I don’t know how I can help with this. I don’t know a lot about medical treatment.” I wipe the back of my hands over my face and try to come up with a plan.

  “It’s not going to be healed for another few days, so I need you to look after me. I do not say this easily human, considering a few moments ago your kind was trying to kill me.” He snarls the last bit, fangs ripping through his gums.

  “I could have left like everyone else, but I stayed. That has to mean something, at least. But where am I going to take you? No offence, but I don’t think I can carry you to where I live, we’d have to go down the main street or through the sewers.” For some reason a part of me felt guilty. I know it wasn’t my fault, but there was no way I could carry him, no way. It was the least I could do for him though.

  “Ezekiel will be here any second and can take me there.” He nods to himself.

  “Well, if he’s coming to get you why doesn’t he just take you away from here? Wouldn’t it be dangerous to stay in a town where nearly everyone is out to kill you?” I ask him, confused.

  “Because where we need to go is a week or so journey away,” a deep voice rumbles from behind me. I jump up to my feet and turn to match the voice to a face. The vampire that was originally the third victim now towers over me, his shaggy black hair combed to the side. I was only as tall as his chest which causes me to look up to meet his gaze. I stop a shudder when I realise his eyes were also pitch black, the night sky stares back at me.

  “Zeke, help me up,” Zuriel coughs from the ground. In a flash, Zeke is standing back in his original position with Zuriel cradled in his arms. Zeke gives me the slightest nod. I feel uneasy as I watch Zeke pick him up; I’m not sure I want them in my house. I definitely don’t trust them.

  “Lead the way, blood bank.” I scowl as I turn away, pushing his comment aside. The warehouse was completely empty, but it wouldn’t stay this way for long.

  “Follow me and do everything I say.” I was in no mood for games, I wanted to get home and out of sight.

  “I’m not taking orders from a human,” he growls. I roll my shoulders back and straighten up.

  “Do you want my help or not?” I grumble as I walk down the stage and head towards the back of the warehouse. I knew there was a secret tunnel somewhere near the back that connected to the sewers. I stop and survey the dusty ground for a latch of some sort.

  “What are you looking for?” Zeke says beside me. I roll my eyes; I have no patience for his questions.

  “A latch to get us out of here.” What else would I be doing? Enjoying the view?

  “Over there.” He nods his head to a spot at the far right of the warehouse. We walk over and sure enough a latch was sticking out. I squat down and grab hold of it. I pull with all of my strength, but it doesn’t budge. I try again, only to fail. I stand up and turn to Zeke.

  “One problem, I don’t have enough muscles to lift it. You’ll have to.” Zeke just stares at me, his eyes narrowing slightly.

  “One other problem, I can’t lift it when I’m holding a dead weight in my arms.” Zuriel gently punches him in the chest. He looks paler than before and I didn’t think that was actually possible.

  “Just put me on the ground. Geez, it won’t kill me,” he rasps. Zeke gently places him on the ground and I stand aside so he can reach the latch. In minutes we’re walking in the tunnel towards the sewer passages that lead to my home.

  “Do you have any food at your house?” Zeke asks.

  “Do you mean food for me or for you?” I counter, still agitated at his blood bank comment.

  “Wow, really sticking to everything they tell you?” Zeke challenges.


  “How else would that family and five guards have died then?” What was he getting at? Obviously, they’d killed them. They were vampires after all. Why did I agree to this?

  “Did it ever cross your mind that we were hunting what killed them?” I stumble a little but recover quickly. There was something worse than vampires? Why had no one ever talked about it before? Is everything from our late-night horror stories real?

  “What are you saying? That there’s something worse out there?” This was one of the times I wished I was registered. To have that chip and the safety provided by the council would be a blessing. Even a security system would be great.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying, and they’re not friendly either.” By the ice in his voice I figured that whatever these things were, Zeke had had a bad experience with them.

  “Tell me about them. Why are you hunting them?” I whisper, not wanting the sewer dwellers to be more scared than they probably already were. There was no protection in the sewers and they were constantly turning on each other, like a horde of hungry rats.

  “I’ll save it for another day. I’m not in a mood to tell strangers secret information,” he says.

  “Sorry.” The rest of the trip to my run-down house is made in silence. I was afraid to talk just in case I said the wrong thing. The smell of the sewer grew stronger as we grew closer to the entrance we needed, a direct drain ran underneath the path we were walking on, our footsteps were the only thing to be heard; apart from the occasional rustle of sewer dwellers. When we finally reach an entry I am more than familiar with I stop and look up.

  “Okay, we have to climb up here and cross the road and then we’ll be somewhat safe.” I turn and look at him with pursed lips. He was frowning.

  “What? There’s no other way to get there without being caught. And what, can’t you be in the sun?” Zeke gently put Zuriel down and leaned him against the sewer wall. He steps in front of me and looks down. I try stepping back but hit the wall. Shit.