by J B Stilwell
Rick looks at the computer screen and I can see that his body has stiffened. "Okay, let's take a look."
I go through the same steps as with the previous footage and we begin viewing her torso up-close and in slow motion. Again the resolution isn’t perfect, but it’s the best we can do. And again, the female vampire's bodily reaction is the same as the male vampire's, with no indication of flames of any sort.
I click pause and wring my hands in my lap. Thinking out loud I say, "It's not enough. I wish I could get closer. Under a microscope would be ideal." I jerk when I realize what I had said and look at Rick. He studies me for a moment then slaps his hands on his knees. "I have the feeling that the government can accommodate us again in this request."
He stands, flexing his hands into fists so tight that his knuckles appear to be bone. He turns and walks out the door of the suite.
Was it something I said?
Chapter 11
It isn’t long before Rick strides back into the suite.
“Get your things. We’re taking a field trip.”
I look up from the computer as he continues to walk to the center island without further explanation. “Field trip to where?”
Without looking up, he says, “I told you the government could accommodate us. We’re going to another facility where they have a criminal vampire in a holding cell. You’ll get your wish about getting a closer look.” He rummages around his papers and picks up a clipboard. Before I can even get up, the door opens again and Ms. Montgomery walks into the room. She only comes in a few steps before stopping, as if she is waiting for something. I try not to frown as I get up and walk back to the closets to get my coat. When I return to the middle of the room, Rick is standing with Ms. Montgomery by the door. I pick up my notebook from the island and head in their direction.
Without prompting, Ms. Montgomery says, “Another research team will be joining us. A military vehicle will take us to the other facility.”
I follow them into the hallway. Rick looks at me and nods as if acknowledging that things are going as planned, although he looks like someone has just run over his puppy. No, not even that. He looks like he has just made the decision to have a beloved pet euthanized. It isn’t a happy occasion and he has made the decision to do something more. All because of what I had said. I don’t think I could feel any lower than this.
We walk in silence to the back of the facility where we leave from the rear exit. The other research team is waiting for us, standing beside a black sports utility vehicle. As luck would have it, Tucker is one of the people waiting for us. I pretend to be as relaxed as possible, even briefly smiling, to cover the fact that the muscles along my spine feel like they are gripping onto one another, holding on for dear life.
Rick begins introductions, holding out his hand to shake the hands of the other researchers, “Hello, I’m Dr. Rick Allstedt. This is Dr. Emma Burcham and our archivist Ms. Sarah Montgomery.”
The female of the other group, a model-beautiful Asian woman, makes the other introductions. “I’m Dr. Bree Vinh and this is Dr. Abhilash Krishnamurthy. Our archivist is Tucker Dutrieux.”
I shake everyone’s hand, but only raise my hand in a slight wave to Tucker. “Tucker and I have already met.” Rick slowly looks from me to him as he shakes Tucker’s hand.
“Very good. We are not complete strangers then. And you may call me Abe for short,” Abhilash says as he squeezes my hand. Abe is a very tall Indian man who speaks with only a hint of an accent. His eyes are so brown they are almost black and his skin is the color of warm caramel cappuccino. I try not to show how much I approve of this much-needed distraction.
Tucker clears his throat. I look from him to Rick who signals that we should be on our way.
We have to sit three to a row in the middle and back as two men in military uniforms take up the front. I look at Rick. "Will anyone be meeting us at the other facility?"
"Yes. Mr. Caulfield will be there to oversee the experiment."
Experiment? Okay, that's rather ominous. I want to ask what experiment, but don’t want to show my ignorance in front of the other research team.
We travel over rocky, hilly terrain for about fifteen or twenty minutes. There is near silence the entire trip. The night is pitch black and without the aid of streetlights, I feel as if I am actually traveling down into the earth itself. If it weren't for the headlights, I would have no idea that we were making any progress instead of riding in place on the SUV tram to nowhere.
When we arrive at the other facility, Mr. Caulfield is waiting to escort us into the building.
"Good evening, ladies and gentleman. I trust that this experiment will be fruitful and set you on the right path in your research. Shall we?" He gestures for everyone to enter the building, making sure to take the lead. The military guys remain outside by the door, like camouflage bookends.
We are led to a holding area with only one cell being occupied. What appears to be a female vampire with dirty blond hair is walking in circles around the white room, with a glass wall allowing us to observe her without any threat to our safety. When she sees us, she bares her fangs. If we could hear her, we would probably be inundated with the hissing sound of one seriously pissed off vampire. When we were all positioned in front of the glass wall, she walks over to leer at us. After looking at each of us, she bites her wrist causing a free-flow of blood. She spits some of the blood on the glass then uses it to finger-paint the words "buffet" and "tasty morsels." Well, at least we know what she thinks about us.
Mr. Caulfield allows one corner of his mouth to twitch as if he is withholding a smirk. "This is Thalia. She was captured by the Drug Enforcement Administration in a sting operation. She was part of a gang of vampires that were running a drug ring in the Appalachian region, West Virginia specifically. The point of their arrangement was to tap into a market for drugs within the poorer parts of the region, where people are desperate for an escape. The drug trade was a front for the steady influx of buyers who unwittingly became victims."
Bree steps closer to the glass wall. "They lured people in with the promise of drugs, and then drained them," she states rather than asks. It’s almost as if there’s no possibility she could be wrong. Either she’s that smart or she has some serious personality issues. Just hope they don’t clash with my issues. That could get messy.
"Exactly, Ms. Vinh," Mr. Caulfield replies. "Not only that, they were adept at making it look like a drug overdose, because with the exception of some early mistakes, they would often not completely drain the victim. They would leave them hanging on by the barest threads of life, then inject them with drugs to finish them off."
"How did they get the drugs?" I ask.
Mr. Caulfield looks at me, an act of recognition on his part. "Good question, Dr. Burcham. There are humans who are willing to partner with such vampires. If the price is right. Let us be clear, the heads of drug cartels are not in business to change the world. They want to make money. If a vampire can provide money, the kingpin doesn't care about the reasons the vampire wants the drugs. They only care about getting payment without raising the suspicions of the authorities. Since these type of humans know that those type of vampires also do not want to attract that type of attention, it appears to be a safe transaction where everyone benefits."
"Only they were caught," I say, staring blankly at Thalia as she continues to write tomes in her own blood, urging us to step in the room for a bite.
He nods. "As what usually happens. Particularly with the creation of FOHVA. Now what does that have to do with our visit tonight? Thalia gives us the unique opportunity to observe, up close, the effect of sunlight on a vampire."
Abe speaks up, "Isn't that unethical? Using an unwilling participant in an experiment, must less a lethal one?"
A tight, thin smile graces Mr. Caulfield's lips. "She chose to participate when she killed forty-six humans."
I lower my head slightly, not making eye contact with anyone. Given the shuffling
around me, it seems that I wasn't the only one who is unnerved by Mr. Caulfield's comment.
He continues, "We are at this facility as it is more equipped with vampire accommodations. Given that we need sunlight - natural sunlight - for the experiment, both teams will spend the rest of the evening here and after sunrise, the humans within the group will accompany some technicians to the observation deck. The vampires in the group will be able to rest comfortably underground. If you are not comfortable with this arrangement, please let me know and we will escort you back to the main building."
Mr. Caulfield turns to go. "I do want to say congratulations. Both teams seem to be progressing well. And the fact that you came up with the idea of this experiment makes me optimistic in your results. Good job, everyone."
Then how come I don’t feel so good about any of this?
Chapter 12
A woman in a white coat leads us to a room that looks like a recreational suite in a college dorm, complete with cots for napping. There is a pool table, Ping-Pong and plenty of reading materials to help us pass the time. I would rather sleep the time away so I plop down on the second cot. Rick is busy looking around the room, which gives me time to observe everyone else. Bree is also checking things out while Tucker and Abe are on the couch talking. Ms. Montgomery is sitting at one of the tables reading an academic journal. We are definitely a rockin’ fun group.
I rub my eyes, still trying to determine if I had heard Mr. Caulfield correctly. Because Thalia had killed humans, she is being caged like an animal and the government is taking advantage of that fact by using her as a guinea pig. I would never suggest that a murderer shouldn't be punished, but going to the extent of using alleged perpetrators for scientific experiments doesn’t seem moral to me. I say “alleged” because how many others are there? And how are we certain that they're guilty? I guess the moral compass depends on whose ethics are turning the dial.
And those poor families who lost loved ones. First having to deal with the heartache that substance abuse causes, only to lose them because a hungry vamp wanted a five-star meal instead of the furry wilderness equivalent of fast food.
As if listening to my thoughts, Bree says, "Well, look at it this way, at least those humans didn't die in vain. I mean, they were drug addicts, but now their lives have meaning."
I practically snort. "That's rather elitist and uncompassionate."
Bree’s head twists around as her fangs jut out. She retracts them and says, "Hey, I'm here to stop, possibly annihilate, the worst of my kind. The least you could do is be honest about the worst of yours."
Okay, I see fang so I do not want to get into an argument with her. For one, I didn't realize that she’s a vampire. My radar is still off. Secondly, if my observation unnerved her to the point that she seemingly wants to sink her teeth into me, I think I'll leave that battle for another day.
Rick comes over and sits on the first cot, facing me, hands folded in his lap. I take a deep breath and frown at him. "You know how the female in each species tends to be very dangerous, especially when there is a threat to her young or herd?"
I nod.
"It's the same with vampires," he says, "only in stereo. Don't be upset about it. For her it was a natural reaction, being the predator she is. You thought it elitist and uncompassionate and from your view it was. But from Bree's view, from a predator speaking of their prey, it was rather benign and almost...cuddly."
Bree whips her head toward us. "You don't need to explain me to her."
Rick turns to address her. "With all due respect Dr. Vinh, not all humans understand the subtle, yet very important, differences between humans and vampires. I would think that we would all benefit from an open discourse to make working together on the project less of a struggle than it has to be."
Bree tilts her head. “Funny. Abe and I don’t have such issues.” She turns and walks out the door.
Rick shakes his head and turns back to me. He tries to smile. “Don’t let her get to you.”
“Are you saying that to me or yourself?”
“A little of both,” he admits.
I look over his shoulder and notice that Tucker and Abe are apparently trying to act like they hadn’t witnessed our mini-drama. They go back to their conversation and I try to think of what to do with the next couple of hours. Something that wouldn’t draw unwanted attention from obsessive humans or pissy vampires.
“Why don’t you try to get some sleep?” Rick asks.
My face scowling I say, “What is up with you all? Can you read my mind?”
“No, but I told you about our special brand of empathy. You’re projecting pretty loudly.”
“Well, I’m sorry for the radio noise,” I say as I run my fingers through my hair, trying not to scream at the top of my lungs.
“Let’s check out the vampire sleeping quarters downstairs. You can rest peacefully there for a while until we need it.” He stands up and holds his hand out to me. I just stare at his open palm. “Come on. The rest will be good for you. Remember that when the experiment happens, I won’t be there with you so I need you at the top of your game.” I look sharply at him. “WE need you at the top of your game.”
I stand up, ignoring his hand. “Okay, lead the way ole wise one.”
“Hey, just because I’m old enough to be your grandfather doesn’t mean you have to throw it in my face.”
I tremble slightly. I have not even thought of things like that and now I feel a little gross at the subtly romantic feelings I’ve had toward Rick. Some people rob the cradle, Emma Burcham robs the grave. Lovely.
“It was a joke,” he says as we walk to the door to the basement stairwell.
“Well, thank God you weren’t serious because it doesn’t make sense at all,” I respond sarcastically.
He looks back at me, smiling. “My chronological age has nothing to do with how hot I am.”
“Keep telling yourself that and maybe one day it will come true. I mean, you have all of eternity. Right?”
He opens the stairwell door, grinning. “If I were only so lucky.”
When we get to the bottom of the stairs Rick flips the light switch to reveal a couple of rows of cots in an underground vampire sanctuary that makes the amenities at a two-star hotel look respectable. And I thought our initial meeting room was minimalist.
“Home sweet home?” I ask.
“It will do for the day,” he responds.
I grumble as I sit on one of the cots. “Well, there better not be any rats in here. I can’t deal with beady-eyed creatures. Must be the reason why Dr. Vinh rubs me the wrong way.”
Rick sits down beside me, slightly nudging me. “Passive aggressiveness is really not becoming of you.”
I sneer at him, feeling like a dejected Elvis impersonator. “It’s not like I could say such things to her face. She would eat my face off.”
He laughs heartily, “True, but there are other ways to express your discontent.”
“Well, you’ll have to teach me those other ways when it comes to dealing with vampires.”
“I will,” he says, “Right now, try to get some rest.” He pats the cot then stands up to leave. “Sleep tight. Don’t let the basement rats bite.”
I throw a pillow at him as he heads up the stairs while laughing.
I lie down and fall asleep quickly as I find myself in a parallel world where for some reason, I am intimately interacting with Tucker. It isn’t a sexual dream, although he seems to be so close that I can smell his cologne. We are in a dark theater, watching a movie, but we are the only ones in the audience. A private screening. So talking doesn’t bother anyone else.
“I know you told me to stay away for a while. But I just wanted to see how you were doing.”
“I’m fine,” I respond. “I’m just distracted with this project.”
He nods, “I think we all are. Still, I do think about you irregardless. I hate that things went bad so quickly.”
I look away. “Tucker, I would h
ave loved it if we would have met under different circumstances and you had approached me differently, but what’s done is done. We need to move on.”
“But moving on doesn’t mean moving away from each other.”
I take a deep breath, weighing my words very carefully. “True. But I don’t know where to go from where we’ve been. Is there a map for leaving psycho-ville?” I look at him.
He becomes very serious and turns in his chair toward me, “I’m sorry that you got that impression of me. Aside from the stuff when I called your home, I thought I was just showing how much I liked you. I didn’t realize that I was being scary stalker-guy. I’m really not that way. I haven’t done anything since, have I?”
I continue looking at him, taking in the fact that he hasn’t done anything else since. And here we are, sitting in a dark room alone and he hasn’t even tried to hold my hand or lean against me. His eyes have the saddest look in them as if the despair that he was feeling is the same as someone lost in the mountains, knowing they were never going to make it out alive. I didn’t know whether to feel sorry for him or be completely creeped out by his level of emotion.
I decide to take the middle path. “We can talk. We can be friends. Let’s just start there.”
He visibly relaxes. “That’s all I ask.” He places his hand on mine.
I jerk awake, nearly falling off the bed. Tucker stands up and comes around the side of the cot, “Are you alright?”
“Ouch. I scraped up my hands pretty good.” I sit up on the cold floor. “What the hell are you doing down here? Were you watching me while I slept?” A sick feeling begins to wash over me.
Tucker kneels down, looking at my hands, “Um, no. We were talking. You were answering. I thought you were just resting your eyes. Since you were responding, I didn’t realize that you were actually asleep.”
My eyes narrow. “What were we talking about?”
