The II AM Trilogy Collection

by Christopher Buecheler

  Footsteps sounded in the hall. Rhes resisted the urge to leap to his feet and press his face against the window like a kid. Instead, he tried to remain as calm and casual as possible. When the door opened, he glanced up and said, “If you wanted an autograph, you could’ve just asked.”

  The man standing in the door was blonde and strikingly handsome. To Rhes, he looked like James Dean, in a way, sensitive and almost delicate. He gave Rhes a polite smile and said, “This is not how I would have preferred to meet you. I did not think you’d be receptive to my people if they simply knocked on your door.”

  “Jakob would probably have started slashing them up. That’s what he did with the last three that bothered us.”

  “Yes. A regrettable situation, that. I am not a … vindictive man – or perhaps it’s just that those fools were of no real value. Regardless, I’ve allowed him to live for now.”

  “You’re Aros?”

  “That is my name, yes. Aros Kreskas, at your service.”

  “‘At my service’ … right. Where’s my wife, Mr. Kreskas?”

  “Here and safe. You’ll see her shortly.”

  “And my daughter?”

  Aros tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Daughter?”

  Rhes rolled his eyes. “That’s a hell of a research team you’ve got there, Kreskas.”

  “You seem a bit hostile, Mr. Thompson.”

  “Your people fucked up my house, killed my dog, threatened to kill my wife, then drugged us both and locked us up. I’d say, under the circumstances, that it’s a small miracle I’m just sitting here and not trying to punch your teeth in.”

  Aros considered this, and he nodded. “I was unaware of the dog. My apologies.”

  “So, apologies for the dog, but nothing else …”

  “I’m not accustomed to apologizing for much of anything, so you’ll have to be satisfied with that.”

  Rhes said nothing – just sat there, arms crossed, looking up at Aros.

  Finally, the vampire said, “They’ve taught you already not to respect my kind.”

  “No,” Rhes said. “It has nothing to do with that. I don’t know anything about you, or your people, and I don’t care. I just want this shit to be done. I want you to do whatever it is you need to do and let my wife and I go home and try, once again, to return to our lives.”

  “A reasonable desire. I have a simple question for you, Mr. Thompson.”

  “Go for it.”

  “Can I trust you not to make a pointless, foolish attempt at escape if I provide you and your wife with some freedom during your stay here?”

  “You mean like waiting for daylight and then just walking out?”

  “The human guard I employ might have something to say about that.”

  “Right. Look, I’m not interested in putting Sarah’s life in danger – or my own, for that matter. So, whatever. It’s your dungeon, do what you want. Long as I can see my wife. When Two shows up, are you going to let us go?”

  “That is my current plan, yes.”

  “Fine, then.”

  “And you’re not concerned about why I might want your friend?”

  “Buddy, I don’t even give a shit. Two can take care of herself. The last time a vampire fucked with her, she chopped his head off and burned him to ashes.”

  “Yes, I know. That’s part of the problem. She has something I want.”

  “What’s that?”

  Aros paused, and then gave Rhes a grin that seemed ill-fit for his handsome face. He no longer looked sensitive to Rhes, nor delicate. He no longer looked human. Rhes understood in that moment that despite the civility Aros was displaying, there was something very dangerous about this man.

  “What I want,” Aros told him, “is her blood.”

  * * *

  “Hon?”

  Sarah sat bolt upright. She had been leaning against the wall and had fallen into a doze, but that was his voice, and she knew it even half asleep.

  “Rhes?”

  “I’m here, Sarah.” She felt him touch her face and then take her hand. Sarah wrapped her arms around him, clutching at him. Rhes hugged her back.

  “You OK?” Rhes asked her, and she nodded, not letting him go.

  “Yes. I just … you know.”

  “I know.”

  Sarah heard the rustle of fabric as Aros came through the door and said, “Who else is here?”

  “This is Aros Kreskas. He’s … in charge. Mr. Kreskas, this is my wife, Sarah.”

  “It’s a pleasure, Mrs. Thompson,” Aros said. “My guards say you were shouting earlier. Are you all right?”

  “I was scared. And sick … sorry about that.”

  “Not a problem. It was not my intention to scare either of you.”

  Sarah paused, apparently consider a response to this. At last she said, “OK …”

  Rhes spoke up. “Aros is going to move us to some nicer rooms while we wait for Two to show up. As long as we don’t try to escape, he says we don’t need to be locked up.”

  “That would be fine,” Sarah said. “As … as long as we’re together.”

  Rhes took her hand. “That’s the plan.”

  “Think of it as … an extended vacation,” Aros said. “You will have a suite, your needs will be taken care of, and you won’t even have to cook if you don’t want to.”

  Sarah bit back a sarcastic comment and instead asked, “Where are we, anyway?”

  “You’re in a decommissioned military base two hours outside of New York, on sub-level B, approximately forty feet below the surface. I house many of my fellow Burilgi, not to mention a handful of humans and rebel Ay’Araf.”

  “What about the other kinds?” Rhes asked.

  “We don’t have any of the ‘other kinds’ here,” Aros said, his distaste evident in his voice. “The aristocracy has no reason to want change. Even most of the Ay’Araf are quite comfortable feeding off of their table scraps.”

  “The ones we’ve met seem all right,” Rhes said, and immediately regretted it as he saw Aros’s expression darken.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” the vampire told him.

  “I’m sure you’re right. We’ve only met a few of them,” Sarah said, and Rhes could tell by her tone that she understood his mistake. Something about Aros had clearly spooked her.

  Don’t blame ya, hon, he thought. Guy makes me nervous, too.

  “What should we do now?” he asked aloud.

  “I have things to do,” Aros said, his voice still brusque. “I will take you to more comfortable quarters, and then I will leave you in the care of my associates.”

  Sarah, who had not long ago been listening to the ugly laughter of some of Aros’s associates, shuddered, but said nothing. She had not yet released her grip on Rhes’s hand and didn’t intend to for the foreseeable future.

  “That’s fine, thanks,” Rhes said.

  “Follow me.”

  Aros lead them through a series of undecorated hallways and into a concrete stairwell. They climbed the twisting staircase for three stories before coming to a halt in front of a heavy metal security door. Aros used a key to open this, and they exited out into a set of dark, mostly empty rooms that must once have been offices.

  “This office is mine. The rest are rarely occupied,” Aros said. He walked over to his desk, glanced at his laptop, opened a desk drawer, and checked something on a notepad. Apparently satisfied, he looked up.

  “There is no reason you should need to be here again.”

  He led them outside. Rhes could see that there were guards patrolling under the large arc-sodium lights that illuminated the walkways between buildings. Rhes couldn’t get a feel for the size of the complex in the few brief moments they spent outside before Aros led them into another building.

  “This was an officer’s townhouse, at one point,” the vampire told them. “I’m sure you’ll find it to your liking. It’s been aired out, and the linens are fresh. There is food in the kitchen. A young woman named Janet w
ill be by tomorrow to find out if you need anything.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine. Thank you,” Rhes said.

  “There are guards at all entrances and exits to the compound, twenty-four hours a day. It’s not that I don’t trust you, precisely, but at this stage I must take all precautions.”

  “We’re not going anywhere until you tell us we can,” Sarah said.

  “Very good. I hope you have a lovely night.”

  Aros took two steps down the walkway and then turned, looked up at Sarah, and said, “By the way, Mrs. Thompson … if you’d like to do something about those eyes, we really should sit down and talk sometime.”

  With that, he turned and walked briskly away.

  * * *

  “What do you suppose he meant by that?”

  Rhes and Sarah were sitting in the living room of their quarters, and had been doing so for nearly fifteen minutes, trying to wrap their minds around their new situation. Rhes knew that for quite some time, Sarah was going to be relying very heavily on him. She didn’t know her way around this house, and Jake was gone. Until they could get her a cane, Rhes would have to serve as her eyes.

  “Meant by what?” Rhes asked, knowing full well what she meant.

  “Don’t. Don’t play dumb, Rhes,” Sarah said, and there was an odd note in her voice that Rhes didn’t find particularly pleasant.

  “Sarah, you don’t really think this guy has a miracle cure for blindness, do you?”

  Sarah was quiet for a moment, then said, “I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know anything about vampires. The stuff Two told us …”

  “Two was dealing with vampires who didn’t feel the need to break into her house, kill her dog, and drug her.”

  “Yeah, no, Two’s vampires were awesome,” Sarah said, her voice acerbic. “They only wanted to torture and kill her.”

  Rhes sighed. “OK, true.”

  “I don’t like Aros,” Sarah said. “He’s … the politeness is a put-on. I’m sure of it. But Rhes, what if he can fix my eyes?”

  “Even if he’s not lying, and he probably is, you know what his solution’s going to be.”

  “Well …”

  “He’s going to want to turn you into a vampire.”

  “Maybe he could just give me blood, like Theroen did for Two. You have to be drained to be turned. Otherwise the blood just … just does things for you.”

  “Aros is a completely different type of vampire than Theroen was. Do you remember everything we’ve been told about these guys?”

  Sarah bit her lower lip, sitting in silence for a time. Finally she said, “You’re probably right. Sorry, I just … it’s just … why would he say something like that?”

  “To fuck with you? Not to jump to conclusions, but I think our new friend might be a bit of an asshole.”

  “Yeah, I guess. Sorry.”

  Rhes pulled her close and hugged her. “I’m not mad at you. I just don’t want you getting full of false hope and being disappointed. I don’t want you to let him hurt you.”

  Sarah hugged back. “I know. God … I want all of this shit to be over. When is it going to end?”

  “Don’t know. I’m going to kill Two, if she’s not already dead. She’s traipsing around Europe, and we’re stuck here with some lunatic. They took our phones, and the lines in here don’t work. Jakob’s gone. Molly’s all by herself. I’m supposed to be opening a new bar in eight weeks. Hell, I haven’t even finished my Christmas shopping. I have shit to do, and the list doesn’t include being held prisoner by some crazy vampire.”

  “We don’t even know if he’s really going to let us go. He might just kill us.”

  “Yes, that’s absolutely true, and it’s why we need to get out of here.”

  “How?”

  Rhes sighed. “I have no idea. No idea at all. Right now, I’m too tired and sick from that stupid drug to even think about it. It’s gotta be four in the morning. Maybe tomorrow I’ll think of something.”

  “At least they don’t have Molly,” Sarah said.

  “Right, not yet anyway. I made the mistake of asking Aros about her. He didn’t even know we had a daughter, so now he’s probably sending someone to get her.”

  “That’s not your fault, baby. Don’t be angry at yourself.”

  “No, it’s probably not my fault, but it’s still a problem. ‘Course, I have no idea what Molly’s going to do without us.”

  Sarah nestled in against him, obviously exhausted. Rhes shifted position, helped her recline with him, not wanting even to make the effort of going upstairs to go to a strange bed. He was tired, still somewhat dizzy from the drug, and just wanted this night to end. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

  “Molly’s a smart kid,” Sarah said, her voice fuzzy with approaching sleep. “She’ll figure something out.”

  Chapter 18

  The Fixer

  “I’m tired of just sitting here. We gotta do something!”

  Sasha looked up from her computer, glanced over at Molly, and said, “I am doing something.”

  “What, surfing porn?” Molly asked.

  “I’m searching for information on Aros. Why must you be so sarcastic all of the time?”

  “Picked it up from a friend,” Molly replied. She left Sasha’s leather couch and moved to stand behind the vampire, peering at the computer screen.

  “This is impossible,” Sasha said after a moment. “Even if I knew enough about him to search efficiently, Aros has likely covered his tracks. Searching his name brings up nothing of value. I doubt he’s used his real name on official documents in hundreds of years.”

  “You’re never gonna find him like this,” Molly agreed. She sat down in a short-backed armchair that had been positioned next to the desk. “Come on, you’re just going to get nine million Goth sites or whatever. You need to be outside, talking to vampires.”

  “The type of vampires I would need to question won’t take very kindly to my presence,” Sasha commented.

  “Fuck ‘em …”

  “Yes, that’s all well and good from the perspective of a thirteen-year-old human girl, but when I’m swarmed by Burilgi and torn into pieces, it’s going to make rescuing Jakob rather difficult.”

  “Don’t forget my parents.”

  “Yes, your parents, too.”

  “You don’t really give a shit about them, do you?” Molly asked, her voice angry. Sasha turned and raised her eyebrows.

  “Should I?” she asked without malice. “Try to see it from my perspective: they came stumbling into our world, as humans typically do, getting involved in things they should have left alone. They are paying the price for that. If your parents hadn’t gone to Two’s apartment last year, Jakob would not be in this situation.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Even putting that aside, I’ve met your parents exactly once. They seem like reasonably intelligent, decent people, and I didn’t mind helping them. That doesn’t mean we’re friends. If you think my concern for them is going to equal my concern for Jakob, you’re mistaken.”

  Molly chewed her lower lip, looking at Sasha for a moment, and then said, “OK, fine. But guess what, if you don’t start worrying about my parents the way you’re worrying about Jakob, you won’t get my help.”

  “And I need your help … why?”

  “These vampires you’re looking for … they hang in crappy areas, right? With addicts and muggers and hookers and shit?”

  “Not all of them, but … some, yes. I imagine so.”

  “Ever been to East New York?”

  Sasha tilted her head. “This is beginning to sound like you may have an idea.”

  “I think I can help. Are you in, or should we just watch TV and wait for those fuckheads at the council to get off their asses?”

  Sasha leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, regarded Molly with cool interest. At last she said, “Tell me your plan. You have my attention.”

  * * *

  “This … you lived here?”
Sasha asked, her disgust evident. She had visited worse slums in her life, but the idea that Molly had ever spent time here seemed absurd. The girl beside her gave a cynical laugh.

  “You see?” she asked. “I told you taking the Caddy was a bad idea.”

  Sasha nodded. Molly had convinced her to take a cab, something Sasha rarely did, and she was thankful for it. The area was filled with chop shops and auto yards, and Sasha doubted that all of their parts were acquired by legitimate means.

  More than a match for half a dozen humans at a time, Sasha felt no inherent fear of the place, but she was both disturbed and saddened by what she was seeing. Litter was piled in drifts against dilapidated buildings covered in graffiti, their foundations slowly sinking, giving them drunken, leaning appearances. A block down the street was a large group of men who appeared to be gathered around a fistfight. They were laughing, shouting profanity, occasionally throwing garbage from the street into the center of the ring their bodies had formed.

  “Lived here. Worked here. Once in a while I had to pick someone up on the corner but not usually. Darren mostly arranged stuff. I uh … I cost too much for most of the guys you find on the street.”

  “Why is that?” Sasha asked, more out of instinct than real interest. A moment later her brain caught up with what Molly had said and filled in the blanks. She glanced at Molly, who suddenly looked miserable.

  “Rather not talk about it,” Molly said.

  “Never mind. I understand,” Sasha said.

  They walked down the street in the opposite direction from the fight, and Molly began rattling away, barely pausing for breath, pointing out landmarks.

  “Some guys tried to rape me under that bridge. Two and Janice started screaming for Darren and one of the guys pulled a knife and I was like ‘oh shit I’m dead’ but he got up off me and started chasing Two, who I guess he sort of knew, and then Darren came out of the building with this huge gun and he just started shooting, right in the middle of the street. All the guys ran away and when the cops came later, me and Two had to go with them to a motel and do a group job. She’d never done it before and after she just kept crying and apologizing and I had to give her some of my smack so she could calm down.”