“I’m Dave, nice to meet ya,” he says gruffly. He didn’t seem too nice. The second guy grins at me; I raise an eyebrow at him. His light brunette hair was pulled up into a high bun with strands sticking to his neck and face. There were a few weeks-worth of stubble shadowing his jaw, his shoulders glowed red from the sun. He wasn’t as muscular as Dave, but boy was the muscle in all the right places. Even though he didn’t have any tattoos he was still good looking.
“I’m Xavier. It’s lovely to make your acquaintance.” His voice was smooth. He winks before he turns his attention to Luke.
“And that is who lives beside you.” Luke rolls his eyes at me. My eyes widen in shock. Xavier looks more than gleeful at this news.
“You know, Ali, if you ever need help with your room or anything I’d be more than happy to come.” Xavier winks at me mischievously, hinting. Dave coughs to hide his laughter. As I splutter for a comeback, Luke frowns at him.
“Xavier, the last thing she needs is a tool like you to be messing with her.” Luke’s shoulders tense in aggravation, Xavier must be well known with the ladies around here, which doesn’t surprise me.
“Where are the girls?” Luke asks, looking around the empty area. Dave scratches the top of his head.
“They’ve gone for their morning jog, should be back any minute.” Dave cracks his knuckles, like saying those words made him angry.
“Ah well, I just wanted Ali to –” Luke is cut off by the sound of footsteps coming over.
“Speaking of trouble,” Xavier murmurs under his breath. I slowly turn to face the so-called ‘trouble’. The two girls standing in front of me were glistening with sweat. The blonde and brunette were a perfect duo. They were both in three-quarter length gym pants with a crop top to finish their look off. They saunter towards us; the blonde locking eyes with Xavier. No rest for the wicked, right?
The brunette has her hair up in a bun with a fringe touching the tops of her eyebrows, while the blonde has her hair pulled into a tight, flowing piggy tail. They stop just in front of us.
“Good morning boys,” the blonde drawls. The brunette yawns and rubs her face.
“I wish I was as pumped as you every morning,” the brunette grumbles. Luke laughs lightly.
“Girls, how was your morning jog?” Luke wraps them both into a tight hug before stepping back beside me. The blonde rolls her eyes.
“This one over here could barely keep up with me. I think I’m going to have to replace her soon.” She winks at her friend who raises an eyebrow.
“Sounds like the usual. Girls, this is Ali; a new recruit.” Luke gestures towards me; I look down at my shoes. These girls would either be my friends or my enemies here.
“Well, what a good day indeed! Hi Ali, I’m Kerry.” The blonde holds her hand out for me. I take it reluctantly and give her a small smile.
“And I’m Sophia.” The brunette smiles warmly at me. Luke clasps his hands together, looking back and forth between us.
“Well, main introductions are done. Everyone here is as friendly as can be, don’t be shy to introduce yourself.” Luke wraps an arm around me and leads me towards the camp. He waves behind him. “I’ll see you later guys.” Their echoed goodbyes follow us as we leave the gym.
“You never mentioned a bathing area.” I say, Luke leads me out of the camp; strapping a hunting knife into his belt.
“This is the best part.”
We walk in silence as we take one of the worn down dirt paths, it was used often, a few members walk past us; nodding their hellos. We come to a turn in the path. A part of me wants to go forward; to see what lies beyond the clump of trees.
“Ali, it’s this way.” I snap my head towards Luke, not realising I’d stopped.
The murmur of a bubbling brook and the distant chatter of birds fill the space around us as we drew closer to the bathing area. Luke moves a low hanging branch out of the path; revealing a river. The grass still obtained its bright green colour even though it was flat and trampled from the constant flow of heavy feet. I stand in awe as I look around; the bubbling brook was in the distance to my right; where the river had shrivelled in size.
On the other side of the river was a small clearing before it was swallowed up by the various trees and shrubs. I walk over and crouch down, running a hand through the clear water; suppressing a shiver from the chill of it.
“This is the bathing area. The men and women bathe together, but if you’re uncomfortable past the brook there’s a more secluded part of the river you can use.”Luke says from behind me.
“Thank you… It’s much nicer than the river I had behind my house.” I say, this one didn’t seem to have grobblers creeping around.
“I don’t doubt that. Come, let’s head back. I’m sure it’s a lot for you to take in.” Luke gives me a warm smile before leading the way back. As soon as we get back I motion for Luke to slow down.
“Is it okay if I go back to my room for a quick nap? Everything is just really overwhelming.” I laugh softly and look up at him.
“Of course, catch up with me later.” He waves before walking back towards the arena. I quickly make my way back to my room, pulling the curtain closed behind me.
I collapse onto the bed and stare at the empty bed opposite me; Zeke owed me big time.
CHAPTER 10
I awake to someone calling into my tent. I sit up quickly, my feet landing with a soft thud on the floor. Luke cautiously pokes his head in before drawing the curtain back. My room is immediately flooded with light and the voices of others.
“Hey, sleepy head. Sorry to wake you, but it’s a few hours off sundown and I thought you’d want to be awake before dinner.” I smile gratefully at him as I stifle a yawn. I pull my sneakers on quickly and follow him as he turns and disappears into the crowd.
The camp around me is full of people, I hadn’t seen this many when I first arrived. A group of young kids run past me, not one of them looks older than ten. If the vampires found this place, what would become of these kids? Could I really be the person that brings this place to its knees? Could I deal my hand and murder innocent children? The thought sends chills through me, but I shake them off before anyone notices. I turn to walk towards the food tent when I slam into a hard, warm body.
“Whoa…you’re very direct with what you want, aren’t you?” Xavier purrs in front of me, his chest rumbling slightly. I frown at him as I take a step back, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Well, if some people watched where they’re going I wouldn’t have anything to be direct about.” I stare at him in defiance; there was something I couldn’t quite grasp about him. He laughs lightly and mimic’s my posture.
“Well, I was actually looking for you. You’ve been assigned to my team.” I raise an eyebrow in question. Surely I would have been put with the girls instead of him.
“Team? Wouldn’t it make sense to put me with other girls?” He steps forward and grasps my elbow softly, guiding me towards the front of the camp. Two other men are standing there waiting.
“Evening Xavier.” The first one nods, his brown curls falling over his face. He quickly brushes them away as he nods a greeting to me, his cheeks colouring. The second one cracks his knuckles and looks at me blankly.
“Boys, this is our new recruit. Ali, meet Cassius and Andre.” Cassius’s cheeks heat even more as he shoves his hands in his pockets, Andre crosses his arms.
“This is it? We get her?” His voice is filled with distaste which slightly annoys me; he had no reason to judge me. He didn’t even know me.
“Yes, we get her. We have to teach her everything we know. She’s a part of our team now and I expect both of you to treat her as nothing less. Understood?” Cassius nods quickly while Andre rolls his eyes and leaves us standing there as he stalks towards the gate.
“Are we leaving?” I ask as I trail after Xavier and Cassius and follow Andre. Xavier nods to Cassius then runs to catch up with Andre.
“Yeah, we’re the evening patrol
. We do a quick run around the border and check the traps. Usually, there’s nothing caught and we just have an easy jog.” Cassius stays in step beside me, Andre and Xavier taking the lead.
“What do you usually catch?” I ask sceptically. As the gate closes behind us we break into a light jog and head towards the forest.
“Mainly wild pigs or deer, vampires, but I’ve never actually seen anyone bring a vampire back before. They usually get caught during the night so our patrol never sees any exciting action.” He half-laughs while he focuses on the ground in front of us. Andre and Xavier make a slight turn, picking up the pace. My ankle begins to throb and my lungs start to burn. Cassius looks at me and smiles.
“You might need to start training, when I first joined I didn’t even make it through the first patrol jog.” I smile softly as I struggle to keep in time with him. They seemed a lot faster than your average human, a burning pain in my side had me wincing with each step I took. The forest around me is foreign; the trees tower over us while bushes and shrubs cover the ground in front of us. My stomach grumbles slightly and I wonder when the last time I’d eaten was. I try to focus on Xavier to take my mind off the hunger. His firm build shakes with each step he takes. His hair is tied up in a messy bun again, his black singlet exposing the muscles on his shoulders and back. The thought of him living beside me sends chills through me, it was hard to deny how good looking he was. Plus, he was human.
“Alright guys we’re about to reach the first trap,” Andre calls over his shoulder, his eyes flash green. We slow to a brisk walk; eventually stopping at the base of a huge tree. I lean against the tree for support and try to catch my breath. I look around the area; there was no trap in sight.
“Where’s the trap? I can’t see anything.” I stand up straight and rest my hands on my hips and look around again. It just looks like plain forest. Xavier walks towards me and swiftly brushes some leaves away, revealing a huge bear trap. He kicks the leaves back over; making sure the trap is out of sight.
“Holy shit! I could have lost my foot,” I gasp and press my back against the tree, not taking my eyes away off the bundle of leaves. Xavier walks around and offers me a hand.
“It’s alright; I wouldn’t have let you step in it.” I take his hand cautiously as he leads me around it and back to the others. Andre taps his foot impatiently while Cassius surveys the area.
“Alright you two, lead the way.” Xavier nods towards Andre and Cassius, and we break into a brisk jog again. Xavier and I lag back; he keeps his pace easily beside me.
“Are all the traps like that?” I ask breathlessly. First thing I would be doing is getting into shape. I needed to memorise where all these traps were in case I ever made a run for it.
“No, not all of them. We usually use rope or mesh nets. We had a few bear traps and thought it would be best if they were out here and not back where the kids are.” Fair enough, although I felt sorry for whatever made the mistake of stepping into them.
“That's reasonable. So, do we do this jog every afternoon or what?” A laugh rumbles out of him. Apparently, I’m funny. He shakes his head and looks at me. His green eyes pierce mine, making me forget to watch where I was stepping.
“We do this border check every second afternoon, but you’re expected to keep up your fitness levels in your own time. You can volunteer for other border patrols as well. There's about six that go out each day.” I could barely run one patrol; I doubt anyone would be able to run all six each day.
“I think I'll stick to just this one for now. I can barely do this as it is.” We both laugh at that as we catch up with Andre and Cassius who had stopped. A brindle stag hangs limply from a large tree. Andre is prodding it with a stick while Cassius keeps guard. I keep my eyes on the stag as Xavier walks up to Andre to inspect it.
“Is it dead?” Xavier asks as he stops beside Andre, grabbing the stag’s head and swiftly snapping its neck. “Just in case. Andre, help me get this down.” I turn and walk over to Cassius, the sound of the stag’s neck snapping echoing around in my brain.
“What now?” I ask softly, would we still continue on or just go back now? Cassius snaps his attention to me and takes a swift look at the stag. He didn't seem too keen on the idea of getting the stag down. He furrows his eyebrows and looks back towards the forest.
“Two of us will take it back while the other two finish the patrol. There are two more traps to check and then you're back at the start,” I look back towards the guys, they'd managed to strap it over Xavier's shoulders, and I approach them slowly and wait while Andre re-set the trap.
“Alright Ali, did you want to finish the patrol or come back with me now?” I went over my two options, to be left alone with Xavier or possibly Andre.
“Who's continuing the patrol?” The sun was starting to sink below the trees; it would nearly be dinner time. My stomach rumbles again, causing Xavier to laugh. He shrugs the stag against his shoulders again and heads back the way we’d come.
“Come on Ali, you'll be able to finish the patrol another time.” I follow Xavier, staying a few paces behind; my eyes glued to the stag hanging across his shoulders. The walk back was simple enough. I keep close enough to Xavier that I won't get lost, but far enough back so that I’m not anywhere near the dead stag. The sky is beginning to darken, the shadows setting me on edge as we make our way through the forest.
“So, are you a vampire hunter?” I ask casually, wrapping my arms around my torso.
“I guess you could call me that,” he says, adjusting the stag on his shoulders. I grimace at the thought.
“Oh, okay. So, is everyone here a vampire hunter?” I catch up with him, keeping pace as we trudge along.
“A majority are, yes. They all know how to take down a vampire if it comes to it. You’ll be trained in that area as well, we do get a fair few wandering around the base.” I keep my eyes on the ground, afraid my face would reveal my true purpose for being here.
“What do you do with the ones you catch?” I ask. I don’t think I’d get a better chance to ask questions than now.
“I don’t know if I’m really authorised to say.” He laughs nervously, raising his eyebrows as he looks ahead, I slump my shoulders.
“I won’t say anything. I’m just curious.” I look around, keeping an eye out for any lurking danger. He sighs.
“Fine, but you can’t breathe a word to anyone. I mean anyone. Is that clear?” he says sternly. I smile eagerly as I nod my head in agreement. Time to get some real answers around here.
“Okay, well yes, we do take in the vampires, depending on how damaged they are. If they’re too far gone we just put them out of their misery as they’re no use to us. The large silver cage next to the arena is where we keep them until they’re too weak, and then we transport them down to the other holding cells. We use them in training a lot, the aim isn’t to kill them but accidents do happen.” He pauses, waiting for me to digest the information. I walk along, so the vampires are used in training.
“So, why keep them at all? Why not just kill them or let them go?” I ask as we step over a broken branch on the path. He just shrugs.
“There’s a war brewing and we need to have some advantage on our side.” Just as I’m about to ask more questions we break through the tree line and find Andre and Cassius waiting at the open door for us. My shoulders sag in relief; my legs still burning from the jogging. Cassius shuts the door behind us. Once inside, I split off and go to change my clothes. I wanted to be bathed before sundown.
I tuck my clothes and towel under my arm and head out of the camp towards the bathing river. There were only a handful of people walking back to the camp; hopefully it would be empty. I quickly slip through the low hanging branch and survey the area; I was alone. I strip off my dirty clothes off.
I step into the cool water; I lower myself down and scrub quietly, washing away the long day. I hurriedly get dressed in a pair of tracksuit pants and an oversized black hoodie. I slip on my sneakers and make for the
camp; heading straight for the food tent.
The food tent was overflowing as I walk closer, quickly pulling my wet hair back into a ponytail. I walk over and line up and hold out the plate I'd been given, the guy behind the counter serves me up two huge spoonfuls. I hesitate.
“What is it?” I look down at the slush; it didn't look appealing at all. The thick white sludge had small orange chunks mixed into the mess. He frowns at me, clearly irritated.
“Chicken soup,” he answers bluntly as he hands me a spoon. I smile softly in apology and quickly turn away with my bowl and spoon. I scan the people sitting around the fire that was beginning to grow, looking for a familiar face. Sophie waves me over to where she’s sitting with a girl I hadn't met yet. I approach cautiously and sit beside her.
“Hey Ali, this is Vivienne.” Sophie spoons some soup into her mouth as she gestures towards the girl beside her. Vivienne gives me a smile and returns to her soup. She was a tiny built girl with delicate, long brunette curls that shaped her face nicely. Her full lips and bright emerald green eyes drawing attention away from the long scar that ran down her left cheek, starting near her temple and ending at the corner of her lips. I quickly focus back on my meal; the soup was exquisite. I now know never to judge the taste of food by how poorly it looks.
“So, I see Xavier got promoted,” Vivienne comments quietly. I keep my eyes on the bowl as I listen.
“Yeah, finally. He's only been trying for how long? But something important must be coming up if they need two leaders in one community.” Sophie taps her spoon on her bowl as she thinks about it. What are they talking about? Something inside me tingles, I have a feeling this could be something important and connected to the vampires. Or maybe it had something to do with the war he mentioned earlier.
“Yeah, that's what I've been thinking. I wish they'd let us in on all their secrets,” Vivienne mumbles around a mouthful of soup. Sophie stops tapping her spoon on the bowl.
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