by Dawn Judd
I could hear the gunfire all around me, occasionally feeling a sharp twinge as one of the bullets would pierce through my body. I crouched over the body of the fallen man, and looked around at the others, my eyes ablaze. I could see the fear in their eyes, as they realized that their weapons were of no use on me. All of them slowly backed away. All but one; the one still holding onto Raymond.
Raymond was awake now, and looked terrified and confused. I wasn’t sure if it was the guns that had brought such fear, or if it was me, covered in blood, snarling at the men who threatened him. The fear in his eyes brought a sickening feeling to my stomach. I had never wanted him to see me this way. I looked at the man holding him hostage, and slowly stood up.
“Let him go,” I whispered, calmly. I took a small step forward, carefully, so as not to excite the men any more than they already were. Oddly, he looked unafraid, as if it were perfectly natural to come across a vampire in the middle of nowhere. He almost looked as though he wanted to challenge me. I could feel the anger burning in my gut. But I had to try to remain calm. I had to get to Raymond.
“We’re not here to start trouble. Let him go, and I will let you all live.” This time, the man flinched a little, but still stood his ground. The other men, looked nervous, and still stood back. They knew their weapons had no effect on me, and weren’t sure what, if anything, would protect them.
“I don’t think you understand,” the man finally answered me. “You see, our privacy is very important. Discretion is absolutely necessary. I can’t just let you and your friend walk away. I don’t know what you’ve seen. I do know that you have just killed one of my best men, however, and that is enough reason for me to make sure you two never leave here.” The smug look on his face brought a deep growl from my throat.
He smiled, then, and raised his gun. But it wasn’t me that he pointed it at this time. I lurched forward, sinking my teeth into his throat. At the same instant, I heard the gun go off.
Chapter Two
“Mack, I need your help!” It was all I could spit out! Tears streamed down my face as I held my foot to the floor. Raymond lay beside me, his breathing shallow and unsteady. He had lost a lot of blood, and I knew that I had very little time to get him the help he needed.
“Khallie, slow down! What’s going on?”
“He’s dying, Mack. Raymond’s been shot!” I groaned as I said the words. Raymond was dying, and it was my fault!
“Shot? What do you mean shot? Khallie, where the hell are you?” Mack’s voice began to take on a hysterical edge as he rattled more questions than I had time to answer.
“Mack, get the helicopter! Pick us up NOW!” I yelled! I could hear him barking orders in the background, as I tried giving him the directions on how to get to us. I wanted to be relieved, as I heard the commotion in the background, because I knew Mack would come get us; and if he got here quickly enough, Raymond might have a chance. I stole a quick glance at him, and my heart sank. He was so pale. I could hear his heart barely beating. I squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him.
“Hang in there Raymond! Mack’s coming for us!” If anyone could help us now, it was Mack. Mackenzie Shaw was one of the oldest members of the network. He was in fact, the founding member. It was his idea to create a dummy corporation in order to hide the network of people I had created in an effort to hide my existence. Made up of some of the most resourceful people in the world, it was like a well oiled machine, once Mack took charge. Mack was also an attorney, which made him quite useful in getting things done.
Amazingly enough, taking care of me proved to be an easy job for Mack. He took to it like a natural, and once he got the network in place, I knew that I would always be able to rely on him. That is why I knew that the only person that I could count on now was Mack.
As I pulled into the clearing where I had instructed him to meet me, I could already see the helicopter heading our way. I raced around the car and gently picked Raymond up. He seemed so fragile. Even with my vampire strength, he seemed too light. He was so pale. Another wave of guilt flooded me. Why didn’t I take him home first?
I heard the helicopter landing behind me, and turned to run towards it, slowing only when I realized that the men getting out weren’t people I knew. It took me a moment to comprehend. Mack had brought EMT’s with him. Of course he had. It wasn’t enough to get Raymond to the hospital quickly; he needed help immediately.
The two men looked a little surprised to see me carrying Raymond, so I pretended to struggle with his weight as I handed him over to them. They loaded him into the helicopter and started working on him right away. Mack ran over to me, and explained that there wasn’t room for me to ride back with them.
“I’ll drive your car, if you want, Khallie! Don’t worry; they’ll take good care of him.” Mack put his arm around me and walked me back to my car. I heard the helicopter take off, but I didn’t look back. I should’ve been relieved that Raymond was going to be ok. But I couldn’t help the dread that was welling up inside of me. I knew that nothing would ever be the same again. Something told me that I would never Raymond’s smiling face again.
I slumped down into the passenger seat of my car, as Mack slid into the driver’s seat. I couldn’t even cry. I couldn’t breath. It felt like I was drowning, and I had no desire to fight for air. I was barely aware of the passing trees and towns. Mack didn’t say anything on the way there. Occasionally, he squeezed my hand, trying to reassure me. We arrived at the hospital fairly quickly. I hadn’t really noticed how fast Mack had been driving. I was a little surprised, because Mack was a stickler for driving the speed limit. “No undue attention,” he would always say.
Heading straight for the door, the minute his tires hit the hospital driveway, I practically ran over some old lady standing outside her car. Mack quickly parked the car and ran after me.
“Khallie, WAIT!” I didn’t want to wait, but I stopped, turning around. He tossed me his jacket, demanding I put it on before I go inside. I looked down at myself. I was covered in blood; Raymond’s blood, my blood, and the blood of the gunman I had just killed. Bullet holes riddled my blouse.
I looked back up at Mack sheepishly and quickly slipped into his jacket. I then turned and ran into the hospital as quickly as I could, without being too conspicuous, only to realize I had no idea where I was going. Mack quickly caught up with me, and started asking around. We were soon escorted to another part of the hospital, where we were met by one of the doctors.
“Ms. Darling, my name is Dr. Carter,” he said as he took my hand. When I didn’t answer, he kept talking. “We are doing everything we can for your grandfather, but I won’t lie to you. Things look bad.”
I closed my eyes, holding my breath so I wouldn’t lose it. Mack squeezed my shoulders, and started asking the doctor questions. I didn’t hear anything they said. I just kept thinking about how I had let Raymond down. Here I was, worried about him dying of old age, when in fact it was me that I should’ve been worried about. Of course I had been the most dangerous aspect of Raymond’s entire life, and more than once, I had put him in some pretty sticky situations. What was I thinking?
I barely noticed as Mack walked me to the waiting area and made me sit down. We sat there, for what seemed like hours; Mack making dozens of phone calls, and me, just sitting there, staring at the floor. Eventually, I nodded off to sleep. My dreams were tormented of images of Raymond’s attackers, Raymond bleeding in my arms, a look of accusation on his face. I heard him whisper angrily “Why?” I woke with a start. Sleeping was definitely not the answer.
Finally, another doctor came out to talk to us. Raymond was out of surgery and awake. He wanted to see me. They had tried to talk him out of it, so he could rest, but he insisted. I heard the edge in the doctor’s voice as he talked to me. He knew as well as I did, this would be the last time I talked to Raymond.
I hesitated outside the door, trying to postpone the inevitable, I suppose. I closed my eyes and sighed as I turned the doorknob. Inside the room it was
dark and quiet, except for the hum from all the monitors and equipment hooked up to Raymond. He looked like a shell of himself, lying there in that hospital bed. He smiled weakly when he saw me. The tears came then. I couldn’t control myself. I didn’t realize Mack had been right behind me until he caught me in his arms as my legs gave out beneath me.
“You have to be strong for him,” he whispered in my ear. I knew he was right. All this crying and making a scene was not going to help.
“I’m ok,” I whispered back to him, as he pulled me to my feet and walked me over to the bed. Raymond grabbed my hand, and tried to pull me closer. I leaned over him, so he wouldn’t have to exert himself too much as he spoke.
“Khalida, I have to tell you something, before it’s too late!” His voice was so weak. I could feel my knees weakening as he spoke.
“I saw her, “ he said, this time with more strength. “I saw her, and she spoke to me, Khalida.”
“Who, Raymond? What are you talking about?” and then it suddenly hit me. “Lillian?”
“She said to tell you something. Are you listening? This is important Khalida”
I nodded my head, afraid if he stopped talking that everything else would stop as well.
“She said to tell you ‘Thank You!’”
“Thank you? For what? For getting you shot? Raymond, stop. I already feel…” He cut me off before I could finish.
“No. Stop it. She said to tell you thank you for saving me all those years ago; for keeping me safe all these years; for being my family, when she couldn’t be here.” Raymond stopped, trying to catch his breath. I motioned for him to take a break. He really should’ve been resting. But he shooed me, mumbling something about not being a child, and he didn’t need me or Mack to tell him what to do. So I backed off and let him finish.
“It was real,” he whispered, weakly. “She was real. She was right here. She made me promise to tell you.”
“I didn’t keep you safe this time,” I muttered under my breath. I was sure he hadn’t heard me, but he looked up at me then, and said with a stern voice, somehow regaining some of his strength. “You did what you could! You hear me? No one else could’ve got me out of that mess like you did.”
True, but I was the one that got him into that mess in the first place. I let it go, though. I didn’t want him to get any more excited than he already was. He was already so weak. I spent the rest of the day with him. I curled up next to him as he slept. Several times the hospital staff tried to usher me out of the room, saying that I needed to let Raymond rest, but Mack always intervened. Threat of legal action usually shut them up, and they left me there.
As the day progressed, I could hear his heart slowing, giving up. I looked at Mack once, looking for any sign of hope. He knew what I was thinking and only shook his head. “No. You promised him,” he whispered, low enough so that only I could hear him. He was right. I had promised Raymond the chance to see Lillian. I couldn’t break my promise, even if it meant I couldn’t save him.
I thought knowing it would happen soon would prepare me for what would eventually happen, but when Raymond’s heart beat its final beat, I broke down. As the medical team rushed in to try to revive him, Mack had to hold me back as I tried to force my way to Raymond’s side. I was sobbing, and screaming. It took all of Mack’s strength to hold me back. After several minutes of trying to revive him, the team stopped. A pained moan escaped my lips as I slid to the floor. He was gone; forever.
Everything was a blur after that. It was like the world was flying past me as sat there on the floor, not moving. I vaguely remember Mack picking me up and carrying me out of the room. I heard someone ask him if I needed anything. Mack told them he would have my personal physician stop by to see me at my home. He carried me out to my car and drove me home.
I spent the rest of the day lying in my bed. Mack stayed, trying to help any way he could. Many of Raymond’s friends stopped by, as did several other people from the network. I barely noticed any of them. I just wanted to be alone. For the first time in my life, I wished I had the ability to die.
Mack finally managed to get everyone to leave, excusing himself as well. I remained there, alone, staring up at the ceiling of my bedroom. When the rays of sunlight burst through the windows I suddenly realized I had lain there all night. I tried picking myself up off the bed, only to realize, if I got up, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. I laid back down. I heard the phone ring, but didn’t pick it up. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone.
When I heard the front door open several minutes later, I regretted not answering the phone. Whatever Mack had to say, he was not going to wait. I sat up, as I waited for him to come up the stairs. When he walked into the room, I could see that he had been up most of the night too.
His eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles were starting to form under them. He looked pale and defeated. Poor Mack. How much I had depended on him all these years. Raymond was his friend, too. This must’ve been so hard on him. I noticed he had something in his hand, as he walked to the bed.
“Khallie, I know you don’t want to see anyone right now, but I promised Raymond I would bring this to you when….” His voice broke off. When he died, I thought to myself. He pulled out what looked like a DVD and walked over to the stand where my television sat. He put the DVD into the player and turned it on.
He came over and sat beside me on my bed and gave me a hopeful look, before he turned to watch the screen. My eyes shot to the screen as I heard Raymond’s voice float across the room. There he was, staring back at me from the television. It took me a moment to realize that I should be listening to what he said.
“…..means I’m no longer around. Hmmm. Well, at least I lived a good life, right?” A hearty laugh poured out of his mouth.
“Khalida, I know this is going to be hard on you. That’s why I decided to do this. I know you will need something to help you move on. You know, my dear, there is something I never told you. I thought about it many times, but I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me.”
“You see, Khalida, that day at the river was not the only time you saved my life. When Lillian died, I was devastated. You know that it was only weeks before I ran into you that I had lost her. I was depressed and had been contemplating suicide. When I saw you there, I just knew that you were an angel; the same one that had saved me from the river, that day. I thought Lillian had sent you, and suddenly I knew I couldn’t do it.”
“Imagine my surprise when I found out that you were not an angel, but in fact a vampire. Even then, I couldn’t help but want to live out my life. I felt shame at thinking I almost threw away the gift you had given to me so many years earlier. My life.”
“Khalida, you are the reason I am alive today. I know that you’ve tried to hide from me how much it hurts to see me grow old, but I can see it in your eyes. I know you will miss me. But you will have to move on. I know you can. I never thought I would, and then suddenly, you were there. The light I needed to guide me back to the world. Please try to remember that. And remember, you are like a daughter to me. I love you, and I will miss you too!”
He didn’t say anything else. I let his words sink in. I knew, deep down inside, that he was right. Somehow, that didn’t make me feel much better. What he didn’t understand, couldn’t understand, was that things were different for him. He had the luxury of thinking he would be reunited with the ones he loved some day. I didn’t have that. The people I lost would remain lost to me forever. I would never see Raymond again.
I looked over to where Mack was sitting. He was looking towards the television, still. I knew he was pretending to be preoccupied so he wouldn’t have to look me in the eyes. He knew as much as I did that Raymond’s words had very little effect on me. I knew that he had hoped they would, but he was a realistic man, and rarely indulged in fantasies. I felt bad. He deserved a better life than this.
“We should start making plans for the funeral,” I finally said, trying not to sound as bad
as I felt. I had to try, for Mack, for everyone else who depended on me, and especially, for Raymond. He would’ve wanted that.
Chapter Three
The rain was coming down hard. The whole morning had been dreary, and pretty much matched my mood. I was not looking forward to the upcoming events of the day. I turned away from the window, letting the curtain fall closed. The past couple days had been hard. Today was going to be worse.
I had planned on driving myself to the church, but Mack insisted on picking me up. I knew he was worried about me. He had spent the majority of the past several days hanging around my house, trying to help out; mostly irritating me. Of course I felt bad that I was so irritated by him. He was only trying to help. I managed to send him on a few missions for me, so I could have some time to myself. I didn’t want him to see my irritation. He was, after all, my next closest friend, after Raymond.
I heard his car pull into the drive, and looked around for my things. I heard him call out my name as he walked in the front door, and hollered down to him, so he would know where to find me. I was still gathering my things when he walked into the room. If I had not been so upset, I might have laughed.
Mack looked so out of place in a suit. He was probably one of the few lawyers I knew that didn’t wear one regularly. Mack was a big man, almost 6’6”, with broad shoulders and muscular features. He was an intimidating man to most people. I often thought he would’ve done good in many other professions. But truth be told, he was very good at what he did. It suited him. Well, the work aspect, at least. Mack dressed pretty casually on most days. He walked over and helped me grab my things so we could get going.
“Anything, yet?”
“Nothing. No reports of mysterious deaths, injuries or missing persons. Nothing that matches what we’re looking for anyway. Khallie, I don’t think we’ll find anything. If what you told me about these guys is true, they don’t want to be traceable.”
