“What did you say?” Paul shot daggers at me with his bloodshot eyes.
My palms grew clammy and my mouth dry. I learned to never talk back to Paul or I would be punished. And if I ran away to avoid it, my mother would get it instead of me. I was weak, just like her. I hated her and I hated myself.
“I said… I don’t have any money,” I answered.
Paul tilted his head toward me and leaned back in his chair. “Then how d’ya spose we’re to get ourselves a Christmas dinner? There’s no goddamn food in this house!”
I looked to my mother, but she averted my questioning gaze.
Coward. I hated her.
“I’m sorry,” I said out of fear. “I can go back to the bar and see if there’s any left over—”
“Screw leftovers!” he growled. “I want a ham or some steak. You’re old enough now you should be bringing home some dinner or at least money to buy dinner. You’re worthless, Cloe. A worthless piece of nothin’.” Paul’s anger flared, and when that happened it was bad news. I needed to get myself as far from the situation as possible. I stood and edged myself around toward the door.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he spewed, liquor dribbling from his chin. I hesitated but did not answer.
I flinched when he looked down at my feet. I wore my new tennis shoes, bright white with blue streaks down the sides. I fidgeted with my sweater, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
“Is that where the money went?” he growled, gesturing to my shoes. “Do you think you’re so much better than us you deserve a brand new pair of shoes? How much did those cost?” I cracked the door slowly as to make my escape easier.
“I… I forgot. I’m supposed to meet a friend.”
“Don’t you dare leave this house!” he commanded. “Take off those shoes. Let me see those.”
I didn’t make a move, but stayed stone still, poised at the cracked door, waiting for the perfect moment to flee. But if I left, I wouldn’t be welcomed back for days or even weeks for that matter. I had to be sure of my decision.
“Cloe,” my mom called out. “Come back in here and we can talk.”
Talking was the last thing Paul would be doing with me. Hitting was more accurate. Paul stood and set down his bottle on a wobbly TV tray. He made to move forward and I blanched, opening the door a little more.
He spoke, his voice murderously low. “Give me some money, Cloe. Or give me the goddamn shoes off your feet.”
I took a deep breath, my pulse increasing.
“No.” I said boldly, then braced myself.
Paul’s face changed. It became red, infuriated. This was the first time I talked back to him since I was younger and realized I couldn’t afford to.
“Cloe… don’t make this into something it’s not,” my mom tried to reason.
“Screw you, Mom,” I scoffed, immediately realizing my error. Paul’s eyes flashed and in a heartbeat he rushed at me. I flung open the door, but before I reached the steps, his hands landed on me. I wiggled and flailed trying to rip from his grasp, and when I finally did, he tripped and fell to the floor, his fat fingers around my ankle. I clutched the door frame for dear life as he pulled at my leg. He was strong and I couldn’t break away. He slowly got to his knees and I panicked. Balancing on the foot he held, I lifted the other and smashed him in the face with my brand new shoe. I felt a crack beneath the rubber soul and saw blood trickle from his nose.
He let go and I ran. I dared not look back until I heard a blood-curdling scream. But it wasn’t Paul. It was my mom. I spun to see a man in black pulling Paul from the trailer, his face buried into the asshole’s neck.
What the hell?
The man in black lowered a limp, bloody Paul to the ground and rose a few moments later. I knew I should run and get as far away as possible, but my body froze with fear. The man wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve his eyes landing on me. He slammed the trailer door to muffle my mother’s horrified screaming and turned to me.
“Are you okay?” he asked, slowly sauntering over.
I scanned the darkness to see if anyone was nearby. The stranger, me, and an unconscious Paul were all alone in the trailer park courtyard. Screaming wasn’t a novelty where I lived and no one dared to venture out of their homes to see what happened. I nodded, unable to speak, my throat clogged with fear.
“Don’t worry my dear,” the stranger said. “That man will never hurt you again.” I tensed, his voice sounding like smooth glass.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
Was Paul really dead? Had I just witnessed a murder?
My heart hammered against the insides of my ribs and my body shook with tremors. My legs were stuck in place as I watched the stranger walk closer. He stopped directly in front of me. His dark black hair was slicked back and I’d never seen eyes so dark before, black even. His mouth turned up with a kind and sympathetic smile.
“I’ve seen you around,” he said, pulling a cigarette from a hidden pocket within his jacket. He lit it and handed it to me. I hesitated, but aside from my better judgment, grabbed the small stick, putting it to my lips. He pulled out another and after holding a match to it, puffed a few times.
“And I know men like those.” He gestured to Paul’s body. “They are good for only one thing: dinner.”
My heart skipped a beat when I saw the man’s fangs. Fangs with blood on them. I stumbled backwards.
The stranger held out a hand. “You have nothing to fear from me. I’m here to help you. I’m here to offer you the chance of a lifetime.”
Oh my god. What was happening? Was I being propositioned by a vampire? A real live vampire? If I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes, I’d have thought the idea was crazy. Vampires didn’t exist.
“Listen. I know girl’s like you. You work hard, trying to do the right thing, but find yourself in an impossible situation. I am offering you a way out.”
I looked down at the cigarette in my hand and pondered his words. Could this man be speaking the truth? Was there a way out? I always just assumed I would grow old living in the same trailer park and probably end up like mother. But it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted more. Deep down I had dreams and aspirations.
The stranger took a drag and blew out a mist of smoke. “I can offer you a life of worth, where hard work is rewarded and money is endless. I can offer you a chance at a new life. A chance at endless possibilities.” He leaned in close, his eyes drawing me in. I didn’t know it then, but the treacherous words that next came from his mouth would be burnt into my brain for all eternity.
“I can offer you the chance to live… forever.”
I took his hand, daftly unaware that all I was doing was trading in one evil for another. Only this time, it was for eternity…
TWENTY:CLOE
I awakened in the early hours of the evening, pondering the fact that I couldn’t seem to escape the memories of my past lately, and began wondering if Ruby’s arrival had stirred up something deep within me. Or maybe I was just becoming bolder of my own accord. Either way, I was finally able to process the events of my life without triggering a deep-seeded anxiety produced by years of abuse. I was getting stronger. And though I knew I could never change my past, I was becoming more fond of the idea that I might be able to change my future.
Lying in the open coffin in my room atop Vampire Hall, I stared at the stark white ceiling, yet again reliving the night Horus took me away twenty years ago. But just as the imaginary Horus took my hand, the real Horus crashed through our bedroom door in a blaze of fury, slamming me back into reality. My breath caught in my chest and I sat bolt upright, hating how he was constantly startling me. I found myself wishing I could go back in time and tell my former self what my older self now knew, that Horus was pure evil. I blinked away the tendrils of the fading memory, my heart pounding hard inside of me.
Horus’ black eyes roamed the walls and then fixed on me. I shrunk back, not knowing what’d put him in such a dark m
ood, but also knowing I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it. My maker’s ferocious tendencies never turned out well, one example being my mother’s dead boyfriend, Paul.
“The legion is considering moving the blood slaves,” he roared.
“Oh?” I asked meekly, as though this was news to me. Horus glared daggers at me.
I immediately started my meditation, the one Ruby showed me. If he found I already knew about the plan for the humans, I— the thought of what he’d do to me was unimaginable and I didn’t want to go there. I took all of my emotions, fears, and thoughts, and balled them up tight. I focused on releasing them, though, as Ruby had warned, clearing my mind was proving more difficult under pressure.
“Yes,” he hissed, throwing his long black duster onto the bed, revealing his button up shirt and suspendered-pants. “I don’t know where they got the crazy idea the humans need better facilities. They are undermining my authority and I will have none of it. The blood slaves are under my command and things are fine just the way they are.”
Horus started his usual pacing in front of the large window. As well as focusing on my mind, I busied myself by folding up the bedding and readying our coffin for the day.
“Did you not hear me?” He spat, and I snapped my head toward him. After a moment of glaring at me, he huffed in irritation and continued. “If this vote goes through, those humans may as well take over our rooms, our Saloons, and our theatres. And while they’re at it, they can take over our businesses and security, and start making decisions for themselves. Why don’t we just let them live like Kings? Like royalty? Bah! They are beneath us. We are the power here. We are the superior beings. The humans have the whole world to rule. They cannot take what little we have from us here on our own land. I will not stand for it.”
Horus was blowing this whole thing out of proportion and although I disagreed with him, I nodded. He tore off his boots and threw them at the wall, causing a dent with the heels.
“Things are getting out of control. With FUSE, and now this preposterous notion of the humans needing their own hotel rooms.” He turned to look at me, pinning me down with his eyes, like I were the cause of the whole thing. He started for me slowly like a predator stalking its prey. I backed myself into the wall as his body closed in on me. His words came out through gritted teeth. “And it’s all been since that baby vampire showed her face here. What do you know of this? What are you not telling me?”
I made sure to keep my mind clear of all emotions, keeping the information of Ruby’s involvement with the humans clouded, feeling more loyalty to her than my own maker. I coaxed myself to keep calm. Breathe, then speak.
“I know nothing,” I lied. “I tell you everything we talk about.”
Without warning, Horus backhanded me, my head cracking into the brick wall behind me. I gasped.
“I don’t care about inane female gossip! I need information. Who is this baby vampire and what has she done?”
“I don’t know,” I cried, bringing my hand to my throbbing skull. “I don’t know.” Horus studied me intently as though trying to read my mind. After one long moment, he froze.
“How are you doing that?” He asked.
My chest trembled, but I held strong to my veiled feelings. I would not let him in.
“You’re blocking me out.” His expression twisted maniacally. “I can’t sense your emotions anymore. Who taught you how to do that?”
Damn, he knew I was blocking him out and I could tell this would not end well. But I would not give in. Not now. Not when I’d come this far. He shook my shoulders and pounded me against the wall, my mind growing fuzzy.
“Tell me!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied, preparing for the worst.
Without another word, Horus grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to the coffin. He threw me tumbling across the top. I lay on my back, my chest heaving with burning breath. He flung open the side drawer where he kept the suppressant and pulled out a vial. I watched closely as he stuck a needle inside the tube and sucked out the clear liquid.
“But I’ve already had my dose for tonight,” I pleaded.
His lips curled into a smile. It was not a happy smile, nor a sympathetic one. It was a smile of pure malice. “More reason for you to have a second one.”
He towered over me and jammed the needle into my arm. “I want you to remember how it feels to go against me, and I want you to revel in it for days to come. I want your pain to be a constant reminder of how you disobeyed me, and how you should never do it again.”
The suppressant burned through my veins, traveling my body like molten lava, and I knew I’d gone too far. I held back my tears and tensed my muscles, knowing what would come next. But the more he hurt me that night, the more I learned to control my mind, sinking farther into its shadowy depths, blocking all his efforts. I sank into the blissful numbness.
TWENTY-ONE: RUBY
The sky blushed in the east, signaling that I didn’t have much time before the sun blazed over the mountains. An hour tops.
But I didn’t care about that. What I cared about was making sure the soldier being kept in the jail wasn’t Guy —though I felt terrible for any human within the clutches of the Tombstone vampires. I didn’t know what I’d do if I found him there, or furthermore, how I would break him free. But I would find a way. I would do anything for the man who gave me a second chance at life. The man who looked beyond my vampire exterior and saw deep within my soul. He saw something in me I couldn’t even see myself. He saw hope and faith.
I smiled at the word as I jumped across the chasm in front of our house, thinking about the nickname Guy had given me. Ever since the night I turned into a vampire Guy had insisted on calling me Faith after witnessing me dropping to my knees to pray. He’d only used my real name once since then, the night we parted.
Ruby…
I heard his voice in my head and was immediately transported back to that night outside of the Tombstone gates, with Guy’s hands in my hair and mine in his. Tears soaked our faces as we kissed for the last time ever.
I would’ve left with him if he’d have asked. I would’ve done anything to stay by his side. But I knew he’d done what was necessary to protect me by leaving me. If I’d gone with him I would’ve been in constant danger— not like I wasn’t here or anything, but that was a different kind of danger. The FUSE army was no place for vampires, just as the city of Tombstone was no place for humans. Guy and I had an impossible situation, but even so, that wouldn’t stop me from finding out who resided in that jail cell. And if it was indeed Guy, I was hell-bent on getting him out of there.
My thoughts were put on hold by the sound of a coyote howling in the distance, the tenor of its cry hollow and forlorn. A gust of wind lifted the loose hairs around my face and I blinked, finding myself across the street from the Old Court House where I’d been held prisoner many weeks ago, where a soldier lay hidden within its depths. I knelt down low behind a large cluster of desert topiary.
I narrowed my pupils and focused on the guard who stood at the front doors of the building. I recognized him as one of the two guards who’d watched my cell when I was prisoner. Humpty, was my guess. He held a twenty-two rifle at his side and leaned against the door jam. Knowing I couldn’t very well walk up to him and be like, ‘Hey, nice gun. Mind if I have a look inside the building?’
Ignoring the silly scenario I’d made up in my head, I quietly made a wide circle, crossing the street and rounding the back of the building, the guard fading out of sight. I tried to peer into the first floor windows, but thick curtains covered them from the inside. I knew roughly where the jail cells were located and moved toward that side of the building. But I came upon an outer wall that blocked off an outside area, maybe a garden of some sort. A wooden door interrupted the wall and I dared a peek inside.
There was no garden inside, but a large dirt courtyard with a wooden platform at the back. It sat high above the ground, and on cl
oser inspection I realized what it was; the gallows. I gaped in horror at the thick rope that was twisted into a noose, hanging above the platform. It was safe to assume back in the eighteen-hundreds, many men were executed by hanging there. My skin pebbled as I thought a few short weeks ago, it could’ve been my neck within that noose had Pandora not interceded.
“Looking for something?”
My heart skipped a beat and I spun around to find myself looking down the barrel of a gun. I quickly placed my hands above my head, my gaze traveling upward to land on Humpty’s stern face. I had been right in my assumption and I could tell he recognized me too. I scrambled for an explanation.
“No, I… I was just… lost.”
He glared at me, weighing my words. “Tombstone is small,” he said, his deep voice sounding almost like the rumbling of the scouting motorcycles. “I find it hard to believe anyone could get lost here, and you’ve had more than enough time to get acquainted.”
My heart raced, and I could feel my skin starting to tingle in reaction to the impending sun. I needed to get myself out of this situation. And fast.
“I’m sorry. It must be the sunrise,” I lied. “I got turned around trying to find my way back home, to Jax’s house.”
The guard’s posture became rigid at the mention of the werewolf leader’s name. “You’re staying with Jax?” he asked in surprise, the gun still aimed at my face. It was clear that Jax had quite an effect on his people and was highly respected, if not a little feared. I nodded in response to his question, and slowly lowered my hands, searching his face. I hoped he didn’t think I was snooping, for if he did I would be in a world of hurt. The guard’s shoulders softened and he slowly lowered the gun.
“It’s past curfew.” He scanned the street, pointing north. “Jax’s house is just up that block there on the left. The yellow one.”
Relief washed over me and I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. This wasn’t the first time I had a gun pointed at my head and I guessed it wouldn’t be the last. But for now, I was in the clear.
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