Immortal Awakening

by Shana J Caldwell

  “Zeke mentioned you all have your own unique abilities earlier?” I question, skimming my hands along the top of the water. I’d love to have a superpower. Zuriel runs a wet hand through his hair.

  “Yes, we do. Each of us has one main gift I suppose, our strongest trait, that’s mirrored with other minor advantages.” He looks to Zeke, twisting his mouth.

  “What’s yours?” I ask, the question targeted at both of them. Zuriel grins from ear to ear.

  “I’m glad you asked. Go, stand on the bank, and when I say, throw a rock or something at us.” He shoos me out of the water as Zeke glares at him. Clearly, he’s not impressed with how much information Zuriel is giving up. I climb onto the bank, grabbing a thick stick as I wait for his command.

  He shuts his eyes briefly, his forehead creasing slightly in thought. When he opens them again his eyes are as bright as the sun. He gestures for me to throw the stick. I throw it towards them, but mainly aiming at Zeke.

  About two metres away from them the stick stops in mid-air and explodes. My mouth falls open as an invisible shield begins to ripple, forming a golden barrier around them. That is the coolest thing ever. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t think it was real. The shield breaks and disappears into thin air. I climb back into the water, stunned.

  “What the hell was that?” I ask, dumbfounded. If that was Zuriel’s gift, what was Zeke’s? Zuriel splashes me playfully, moving his eyebrows up and down. His eyes have faded back to their original black.

  “Pretty cool, huh? I can project a force field. It pretty well kills anything that touches it, no matter what the object is. Or I can use it as a blast that throws my enemies back.” He boasts about his gift, feeding off of my amazement. I turn towards Zeke, raising an eyebrow. He glowers at me.

  “Zeke’s is pretty nifty; I never know which one he is though.” Zuriel rubs his face in thought, eyeing Zeke up. Zeke sighs in defeat. I stare at him, waiting.

  Slowly, he begins to shake, his eyes roll back in his head as he’s torn in two. I watch in amazement as Zeke duplicates himself. Suddenly there is two of him standing in the water. Both unpleased with this activity.

  “So, wait, you can multiply yourself?” I ask, thinking my ideal world would be a world full of grumpy Zekes. They both cross their arms at the same time.

  “Yes. I can multiply myself as many times as I want. Once I retrieve the duplicates I collect their memories and experiences. I’m sure it’s too complex for a human brain to understand.” One of the Zekes says and I assume he is the real Zeke. Zuriel smirks as the real Zeke shifts his eyes, his duplicate slowly merging with him again.

  I steer away from any other deeper questions and focus on something less trivial.

  “Do you age?” I ask. Zeke answers this time, slightly irritated.

  “Nope.” I frown at them.

  “Well, how old are you both?” I’m curious now.

  “I’m twenty-seven in human years, about seven hundred in vampires,” Zuriel speaks with consideration, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

  “I’m twenty-five in human years, five hundred in vampire,” Zeke adds bluntly, wafting his hands through the water.

  “Now, how old are you, Ali?” Zuriel asks. I’m pretty sure I was nearly nineteen, although it was a bit sketchy.

  “I’m nearly nineteen.” Good enough for me. They both just nod.

  “When’s your birthday?” Zeke asks. This is a tricky question.

  “Sometime in April, I forgot the date.” I laugh lightly and they just stare at me. No wait, they weren’t looking at me, they were looking behind me. I hear a soft clicking sound behind me.

  “Ali, whatever you do, don’t make any sudden movements,” Zuriel says softly. My heart starts racing in my chest and I slowly turn around to find what is behind me. Just a few feet away from me is something out of a nightmare. Zuriel’s description didn’t even begin to describe it. The grobbler stands on the other bank, staring directly at me.

  “Ali, don’t look directly at it,” Zeke whispers. I divert my gaze to its feet. Its large, black talons dig into the ground, its skin coarse like sandpaper; it reminds me of a very large bird’s foot. I shut my eyes and take deep breaths, doubting I’d get out of this situation unscathed.

  “Ali, take slow steps back. Its only weakness is water, but if it’s determined enough it’ll find a way over to this bank,” Zeke’s whisper fills my ears. I start to take a small step back when I hear a scream. I freeze immediately and look around. The scream ceases and I look at the grobbler. Worst mistake I’ve made today and I’ve definitely made plenty.

  Its large wolf’s shaped head was looking at me, it’s three circular eyes on each side of its face, from smallest to largest. Its mouth splits open and peels back towards its eyes, revealing seven row of thick razor-sharp teeth tunnelling towards the back of its throat. Suddenly, a scream erupts from the back of its throat.

  “It’s calling out to others nearby,” I whisper horrified. How on earth would I be able to outrun one of these creatures? I’d be dead in a heartbeat. You’re a smart girl, aren’t you? I shake my head, staring at the grobbler. Did it just talk to me through my mind? Surely that’s impossible. Not impossible, not even difficult. You’re very weak-willed. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the whispering, scratchy voice.

  “Get out of my head,” I barely whisper. I open my eyes again and it stands taller. I start backing away faster, screw going slowly. I’m not ending up as a meal today. A meal, you say? You’re barely an entrée. When I’ve backed up to where Zuriel and Zeke are standing in the water, I turn and swim as fast as I can to the bank. The bank was slippery underneath me. After three attempts to haul myself out of the water, I finally manage to scramble out. My first instinct is to run, to get myself out of danger and protect myself. I turn and look back.

  The boys have just climbed out of the water and the grobbler is not happy. Zeke has duplicated himself six times and Zuriel’s eyes were blazing as he enforced a shield. Its scorpion tail is lashing back and forth from its rhinoceros-shaped body; the dull grey skin seems to have the same texture as its feet. The seven large spikes down the centre of its back shining in the sunlight, its talons digging into the ground as it paces back and forth, brown froth spilling from its mouth. The grobbler breaks through the shield, the force sending me through the air.

  “Ali!” Zeke screams out. I wait for the impact with the ground, everything was happening in slow motion. All too soon, I collide with the ground. The left side of my body crashes hard and my head cracks to the side. I roll a few metres away and just lay there. Every bone in my body feels shattered, my head throbbing and vision blurry.

  Every breath I take is jagged and lung scorching. I can faintly hear screams and snapping sounds in the distance. In a daze, I slowly sit up to see what’s going on around me. A few metres away from me were the grobbler. It turns and screeches at me. As it thunders towards me, it’s flung to the side. Zeke runs over and helps me up.

  “Ali, I need to get you out of here now,” he says sternly. I can barely breathe little own talk, so I nod my head as he gently lifts me in his arms.

  “Zuriel, I’ll be back. She needs to be safe. Keep it at bay as long as you can,” Zeke calls out. I try turning my head to see what Zuriel’s doing but my vision fades to black.

  CHAPTER 4

  I awake to a strong thudding in my skull. The cold, wet cloth feels heavenly against my forehead. I keep my eyes shut and try to recall what has happened. Swimming, grobbler, Zeke, black. Oh no! Zeke and Zuriel might still be out there, dead or alive. I open my eyes and am greeted by darkness; as my eyes adjust I realise I’m in my room. After stumbling my way downstairs, I peer out the back door.

  Crickets chirp as the grass moves in the moonlight, locked in a silent dance with the wind.

  I lock the door and head into the lounge room and light the last two candles I have left. Exhaustion consumes me as I collapse onto the couch, flinging one leg up as I sta
re at the ceiling. The silence was deafening. I sigh and turn over, glancing at the candle. Hopefully, they got home safe or wherever they were going.

  *

  In the passing weeks, I hadn’t seen any sign of Zeke or Zuriel, or any other vampire for that matter. Not one had been caught since Zeke and Zuriel.

  The grobbler encounter has left me with so many questions. Why did no one else know about them? Was the government behind this? Nothing about the grobbler looked natural so it only seemed realistic that it was an experiment gone wrong and was now on the loose. The fact they could read minds shook me to the core. What else were they capable of? I shook my head as I entered the City Centre coffee shop; the bell chimes announcing my presence. It was a small rickety building; unregistered members of the community slaved away behind the counter; grinding up the coffee beans.

  “Ali! What a wonderful surprise!” I look up and frown. Oh, shit, it was the assistant.

  “Uh, hi?” I step back cautiously. He steps closer, a grin spreading across his face.

  “I think you have something I need darling.” Zeke and Zuriel. My blood runs cold in my veins. How could he know I was involved?

  “Ah, no, sorry. I don’t think I do.” I scratch at my palm; people were starting to stare now. He pulls his curls up into a tight bun on top of his head. Two guards pin me with their eyes. I did not want a beating today.

  “Now dear, how about we go for a brisk walk and have a chat shall we?” He grabs my arm and spins me out of the shop.

  “Boy, I’ve got to hand it to ya’. You risked your life to save a couple of vampires. Now, isn’t that somethin’?” He chuckles to himself and glances down at me. I shrug. I don’t know what he expects me to say.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” We head towards the local park, consisting of some grass and a swing set.

  “Ali, Ali, Ali. Why lie? I know you’re not registered and can you imagine how much trouble you’d be in if the gov knew you helped them? We both know you’ve got no more strikes left.” He forces me towards the swing. I sit down with a huff.

  “Now, here’s how it’s going to go. You tell me everything and I won’t let the government know you’re not registered.” He pauses suddenly. “Or you tell me nothing and I hand you over personally.” I bite my lip in frustration. I would be jailed or killed if he did that.

  Minutes tick by as I sit in silence, my thoughts racing a million miles per hour. I need a bullshit story, and now. The assistant has resorted to leaning against the swing set; his intense stare didn’t go unnoticed.

  “Look, I don’t know what you expect me to tell you. All I did was cut him loose and left like everyone else.” I suck on my lip nervously, it was technically true. He rubs the crease in his forehead.

  “Ali, I know more than that happened. I have evidence.” I look at him out of the corner of my eye. I’d taken every precaution I could think of, going past places where no security cameras were and then directly to my rundown house out of town. Surely, I could call his bluff.

  “That’s a damn shame. And a damn lie. Knowing that I’m unregistered, surely you’d be smart enough to realise that I take precautions no matter where I go.” He clicks his tongue softly.

  “If that were true, why would I find you smack bang in the middle of town at the busiest coffee shop?” He straightens himself up and dusts off his suit. Of course, the prick would wear a suit in the middle of a boiling-hot day.

  “Can’t a girl enjoy a decent coffee? You do know it is run by unregistered people right? Obviously you’ll find people like me in there.” He steps closer to me and stops just centimetres away.

  “We both know you’re as poor as filth, look at you-” He gives me a disgusted look from head to toe. “So, let’s not pretend you’ve ever had enough money for coffee.” I stand up and look him square in the eye.

  “I have told you what happened. I’ve learnt my lesson, it won’t happen again. I’m not a liar and if I ever find out anything useful you’ll be the first I tell.” He caresses my face with his hand; I bite down on my cheek to avoid jerking away. He rests his lips against my ear.

  “If I ever find out you’ve lied to me, I’ll kill you myself,” he growls softly. And just like that, he straightens his suit and is strolling away.

  I sit back on the swing and dwell on the conversation. I didn’t notice I was shaking until I look down at my hands. Dirt had made its home under my nails, which had seen better days. I sigh and look up at the sky. Surely, I couldn’t get charged for letting a vampire go based on a rumour right? It wasn’t like he really had proof considering he was almost the first out the doors.

  I massage my face as a sigh escapes me. I stand up and stretch, before heading towards the deserted path on the outskirts of town to get back home. It was probably smart that I avoid town.

  The birds are chirping as a cool breeze skims my skin, I pull my arms around myself. It was definitely time to put more blankets on the bed. Cold hands clamp around my arm and my mouth as I’m dragged into the thicket of the forest.

  Cold. Vampire.

  This is it. This is how I go.

  I thrash with all my might. I didn’t realise my eyes were shut until the culprit clears his throat. I sneak a peek and immediately recognise those big, black, soul-eating eyes. Zeke removes his hand from my mouth but keeps a sturdy grip on my arm.

  “Well, wasn’t that a pleasant surprise.” I roll my eyes at him and try batting his hand away. The side of his mouth lifts up slightly in the closest thing to a smile I’d ever gotten from him.

  “Now, now, Ali. Any moment spent with me is pleasant.” I’d forgotten how husky his voice was. My stomach starts doing cartwheels with my heart joining in. The smell of vanilla swallows up the air around us. At least one of us smells good.

  “What were you chasing, Zeke? I was looking forward to never seeing you again.” Surely he wouldn’t pull me away in the middle of the day and risk being seen if it wasn’t important. His eyes cloud over like a storm.

  “We need to talk,” he states. Maybe my questions about the grobbler will finally be answered.

  “Well, I’m all ears. It’s not like I’m in a rush.” I huff and look down. I hadn’t realised how close our bodies were. I clear my throat and ease away slightly.

  “We can’t talk here. In a week’s time, at midnight, I’ll come to you. Expect me and keep a low profile from now on. I saw the assistant getting close to you.” He growls lightly at the end. I don’t blame him considering the assistant killed his sister. I nod.

  “How is Zuriel?” I had to know before he left. He releases his grip and steps back, sliding his hands into his pockets. His hand leaves a slight imprint on my arm. He’s wearing black jeans, a tight-fitting plain grey t-shirt, and leather biker boots.

  “He’s like a brand-new vampire again.” I smile softly at that, a small part of me was happy to know they both seemed well.

  “A week, midnight, I’ll knock three times when I’m there. Also, I’ll be entering through the back door.” I nod slowly, why couldn’t he just tell me now? He glances over his shoulder.

  “Also, take an alternate route home if you can, guards are patrolling the path up ahead.” He gives me a quick once over, lowers his sunglasses and disappears.

  *

  I drag myself to the fridge and look inside, my stomach in knots from hunger. It was pathetic; two mouthfuls of clean water, a mouldy half-eaten apple, and five slices of stale bread. I run my fingers through my hair and grab a slice of bread. It wouldn’t do much for my hunger, but it was better than running on empty.

  I explore the upstairs rooms some more, surely there was something worth selling that I’d missed. I’d overheard they hold trade markets outside the wall…if I could just find a way to get on the other side of the wall. I walk into the utility room and start rummaging around, old photo frames, worn out clothes, and a ripped hat. I let out a frustrated grunt.

  “Damn you, you stupid house!” I sit back on my heel
s and look up at the ceiling, my eyes widen. A small latch sits towards the back of the ceiling on the left-hand side, I reach up and sure enough the latch clicks. I slowly pull a wooden staircase down from the roof.

  I race downstairs and light a candle, this could be my jackpot. This could be my ticket out of here. I ease myself up the stairs and pop my head inside. Cobwebs drape over everything. I haul myself into the attic and twirl around. Mountains of boxes are piled everywhere. I grab the first box I lay my eyes on and sit down to open it up.

  Porcelain animal figures wrapped in newspaper, the box was full of them. I had hit the jackpot. If I sold this whole box I’d be set for months. Better yet, I could leave this hell hole.

  I carefully carry it downstairs; I don’t think I’d be able to haul this around without causing suspicion. I reach behind the couch and grab my backpack; I knew this would come in handy. I carefully place ten of the antiques and the last four pieces of stale bread into the bag, once I got to the wall I’d need to figure out how to get out.

  The walk there wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be; I’d eaten all the bread by the time I’d nearly reached the wall. I scale up the nearest tree and look out. There were no guards patrolling this section, but I’m sure they’d come soon to check up. The wall towered above me; the clean grey concrete stared at me in triumph. There was no way I was getting over the wall; it looks like I’d have to go under. I retrace my steps and find a sewer opening.

  The walk was miserable. You don’t realise how many people are homeless and unregistered until you walk through the maze of a sewer system. Finding an entrance to the other side was easy enough, pushing the grate away was another story.

  I tighten the straps of my bag and start climbing the ladder, sun glistening down onto my face through the four small holes in the grate; fresh air accompanying it. I didn’t know anything about this trade market, nor how far away from the wall it would be, but knowing my luck, I was most certainly going to get horrendously lost.