by M. Lorrox
Sadie glances off toward the window while she thinks.
Everyone else waits in silence.
“You’ll have to figure out what to say so he won’t suspect anything, but be sure to add one thing.” She looks at him and smirks. “Tell him you found the cipher.”
Steve’s eyes dart to Madeline, then back to Sadie. “What’s a cipher?”
Oh... “The decoding instructions.”
On the 747, many are now resting. Charlie and some knights are spread out in the upstairs lounge, Stephanie and Owen stretch out in first class, Ghost and Hecate recline in coach, and Eddy and June are sprawled out across the floor near the bathrooms behind the stacked equipment. The constant roar from the four, high-bypass turbofan engines soaks the passengers with sound and deadens all other noises.
It’s loud to the vampires, but it’s consistent, and to July, it’s enjoyable. A sunbeam warm’s her face as she snoozes.
She dreams. At first, she’s back home in Waynesville, North Carolina. She’s in her old bedroom. Outside, her dad works on his truck with some music playing through the old stereo he uses. She sits at her computer to write, and in the turned-off monitor, she sees a reflection of how she used to look. Chocolate eyes on a tan face, framed by long black hair. The girl in the reflection wears a tank top, and her smooth shoulders and arms extend to the bottom edge of the hazy dark-gray screen.
She hits the power button, and the monitor turns on.
She sees a chessboard, and the white side makes its move first, sliding the queen’s pawn forward two spaces. Then, black makes a move, sliding a pawn up two spaces, directly in front of the white queen’s pawn. Then, white moves the next pawn in line toward the queen’s rook, up two spaces: the queen’s gambit.
In the dream, she moves the mouse to the top corner of the window, but when she clicks to close it, it flashes red.
She clicks again, and this time, the entire image on the screen glitches red. Again and again and again she clicks, each time the screen filling with red then coming back. “No!” She yells as she clicks again, and the red pours out of the screen as thick blood straight out at her chest like a fire hose. It washes her backward and out of her chair. “Stop!”
She falls and lands on the ground, feeling comforted by rich green grass. The blood is gone, and she looks up to see the ornamental pond in the hotel’s lobby. Little flashes of light brighten the taller grasses growing alongside, and she crawls over. Koi fish are swimming in a circle, but then she blinks—they’re snakes. Bright orange and white snakes, swirling in a whirlpool of color and water, filling up the volume and now multiplying, replacing the water. She blinks, and the color is gone, but black snakes remain in a pit. As far down as she can see, the walls pulse with the squirming bodies of the snakes, spinning all in the same direction.
They circle the walls faster and spiral upward, out of the pit. Above the ground, they don’t fall, but the column of snakes extends into the sky. She looks straight up, the snakes reaching farther and farther. She travels with them now, far above the ground, ripping into the heavens and attacking the sun. The snakes weave themselves together into a mat, blocking all light except for one tiny dot that glows a warm golden yellow.
Her hand is drawn to it, warmth engulfs her, and she touches the hole with a finger. Then, it’s all gone—the snakes, the sun, the light, and the warmth. The peace she felt is upended with her sense of position, and as she falls, she feels the cold terror of death.
She falls faster and faster through void. Her clothes and skin flap, and her eyes struggle against the wind of death. She squeezes her eyes closed, but in her dream, her awareness shifts outside her body. She looks at her body falling through nothing, her long black hair extends straight up and away from her face. Tears flow from her eyes, forming jets of water that also extend up, then the tears turn to blood.
She sees her blood-soaked eyes reopen with green-and-silver irises, staring straight back at her awareness. The body says, “Help me.” Then, the girl’s clothes rip off, and her long hair is torn away. Flesh from her body tears itself away in little blobs, revealing little round holes spiraling down each limb, circling her scalp, and crossing her hips. A line of blood draws across the girl’s stomach, and it opens like a mouth. The skin tears itself into misshapen teeth, and the mouth bellows, “FEED ME!”
Blood pours out from the stomach-mouth, and it streams out from every round wound on the girl’s body. It extends behind her as red ribbons disappearing into ether above.
The girl’s face looks at July’s awareness, and when the girl’s eyes blink, July’s awareness is back inside the body, looking at her own reflection in black glass. She’s no longer falling, but the red ribbons still connect to her. They’re pulled like she was a marionette, and her body jerks and dances. Her muscles and ligaments tear as she’s violently tossed around, and she looks up.
She’s inside the hotel’s courtyard again. The black glass walls continue far up on all sides—she’s trapped. Above, she sees the red ribbons of her blood connected to a grid held by a giant hand. “Let me go!” She screams, but instead of any release, a giant face moves over the opening.
Dr. Melgaard looks down at her and laughs.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” July screams so loud in the dream that everything shatters like glass; the pieces rain down upon her and smash into sand all around her. She also screams in real life, and it wakes herself up along with everyone else on the plane.
Eddy jolts upright and turns to her. “Are you okay?” He finds her laying on her side, but when his eyes register what he’s seeing, he freezes.
“Ugh.” She opens her eyes and sits up, glances at a concerned-looking Eddy, then wipes her face with her hand. “I had a terrible dream. I was home, then I was...” She looks at Eddy and realizes that he doesn’t look concerned; he looks petrified. “What’s wrong?”
Eddy is quivering, his eyes twitching, and his mouth hangs open. He swallows. “You were bleeding, from all of those round wounds, from all of them, but then the blood just disappeared. Like it absorbed through your skin... Your whole body was covered in blood. It was everywhere, but now it’s gone! Did I imagine it? I swear I saw blood—”
She shrugs with a sigh. “My blood stays in me... But I believe you. I dreamed something like that.”
He swallows, his eyes wide and, for the moment, afraid to blink or look away.
“What the bloody hell?” Hecate scowls at them from across the mountain of gear.
July takes a deep breath and stands up. “Hi.”
-bzzzz, bzzzz- Steve gets a text, and he checks it. “Mad, Li Chen is meeting Lorenzo tomorrow, and he wants the decoding instructions... What did Mrs. Costanza call it?”
Madeline doesn’t open her eyes. “Cipher.”
“Yeah... What should I tell him?”
“Ask him where he wants to meet... Or better yet, you pitch something. But what’s the plan anyway? Follow him to Lorenzo or beat it out of him?”
Steve frowns. He doesn’t like the idea of fighting Li Chen. He’d just as soon kill me, I think. “What if I say I’ll only give the cipher to Lorenzo, so I’ll be sure to get paid? Would that work?”
Madeline opens her eyes and stares blankly at the fluorescent light fixture above her bed. It spits out ugly, greenish and flickering light, but it doesn’t distract her. “Yeah, that’s pretty good, actually. Then you could get some dust to follow you to Lorenzo.”
Steve smiles. “Cool. And what about you? Do you want to come along and watch Li Chen get busted?”
She imagines Li Chen’s face getting smashed in by a pissed off vampire knight with bulging muscles, and although it makes her smirk, she shakes her head. “I don’t ever need to see him again.”
He nods. “But what if he asks about you? What should I say?”
“Tell him the truth. I’m pissed, recovering in a hospital bed, and if h
e ever comes near me again, I’ll tear his dick off and make him eat it.”
“I think I’ll just summarize that for him...if he asks.” He sends a text.
I want to be sure I get paid, so I’ll meet you both at the handoff. You bring the phone, I’ll bring the decoding instructions, and he brings the money.
He reads the text over and nods, then writes another one.
Also, you’re a dick for leaving me. But whatever, us Fangs gotta stick together.
He sets his phone down and glances over at Madeline. “I’m glad for your help, Mad. We’ll make this right, and soon you’ll be healed up, and then you can disappear. I’ll even give you my share of the cash. It’s not right what Li Chen did to you.”
She opens her eyes again and turns her head to face him. “We’ll split whatever Li Chen gives you. Now what are you going to text him? You can’t pretend like everything’s all hunky dory, you know.”
“I already texted him. It’s all good, balls in his court... Thanks, Madeline.”
She smiles as she lays her head back. “You’re welcome, Steve.”
-bzzzz, bzzzz- Steve reads Li Chen’s response.
Don’t be such a dumbass, of course we stick together. Meeting fat man at Fair Oaks Mall parking garage at noon. Bring the goods, and dude, pack a bag.
“He called me a dumbass and wants me to pack a bag.”
Madeline shakes her head. “Somebody’s gotta kick his ass. For real.”
“I should tell Mrs. Costanza or the knights the plan. How do you think we can get a message to her?”
Madeline sighs. “Just start screaming. I’m sure someone will come and check on you.”
You’re so smart! “AHHH! HELP!”
Eddy and July climb over the equipment, and they’re greeted by the grumpiest group of knights that either of them has ever met. Ricochet swears and turns around to head back upstairs, Ghost groans, and Balena sighs while shaking her head.
Gabriel motions to the young ones. “Come on, I’ll bring you to the colonel.”
Upstairs, Ricochet takes the toothpick from his mouth and flicks it into the corner.
Charlie stands up. “What is it?”
Ricochet cracks his neck with his hand. “Stowaways. Your son and that girl.”
Charlie closes his eyes. You’re a peaceful man who hates violence…
At the top of the stairs, Gabriel stands aside for July and Eddy to continue. Charlie stands before them in the middle of the lounge. He huffs air, his lips quiver, and his eyes twitch. Both of his hands are planted on his wide hips, and his legs are rooted to the floor like pylons.
July walks straight up to him, mimics his posture, and looks up at him. “I told you I was going.”
Charlie squints and snarls at her, and she responds back in kind. Eddy shrinks into position behind July, and Charlie sidesteps to face him. “LEO. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?”
Eddy shakes. He flicks his eyes up toward his dad’s, but he can’t hold their gaze for more than an instant. His eyes crash back down to the floor. “Guarding July?”
Charlie returns his attention to July. “Do you know how many battles I’ve been in? How many people have died trying to kill me?”
She scoffs. “How does that even matter? I mean—”
Charlie throws his hands forward. “This isn’t a game, July!”
She throws her hands forward. “I’m not a kid trying to play games!”
Charlie groans, turns halfway around, then explodes forward and smashes his foot into the floor with a mighty -thud- that rattles even the pilots in the cockpit. “People are going to die! Do you even understand death? It’s final. We’re hoping it’s them that dies, but they’re going to be hoping it’s us.”
She grits her teeth so hard a molar cracks. She lifts a foot and smashes it into the ground, breaking the flooring and denting the aluminum joist underneath. Her foot sinks three inches, and she almost falls over.
Eddy catches her.
She pulls herself from his grasp and regains her footing. She snarls at Charlie with more ferocity than she’s ever felt, and she yells louder than she ever has, “HOW DARE YOU! FUCK YOU! I know death. My mom, my grandfather, and ME! DR. MELGAARD KILLED ME!” She shakes her head in rage. Tears rip from her cheeks as more pour from her eyes. “Don’t you get it? I’m not JUNE anymore, because she’s dead. She never woke up, but I did! I’m not what you think I am, and I will not quit until I see that monster dead!”
Charlie shakes and twitches, but behind him, Ricochet is leaned away, holding himself up by an armrest. Eddy glances back and forth between July and his dad, and behind him, Gabriel frowns. Naga’s huge bald and tattooed head sticks up from the stairs, and Ghost’s eyes barely peek over the massive knight’s shoulder.
Charlie sighs. “I’m sorry, July, I didn’t mean to insult you.”
She snorts her breaths. Her hands are fists at her sides, and she squeezes them until her knuckles are white and her fingernails pierce her palm. “You’re afraid I’ll mess up your mission. Well don’t worry about me. Stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.”
Charlie takes a step back while shaking his head. “You don’t understand, July. That’s not what I’m afraid of.”
If that’s fear I see, it surrounds him…
“I’m afraid of losing you.” He looks at his son. “Or you… I lost a family once, a long time ago, and it almost destroyed me.” He looks away.
Eddy takes a step forward. “Dad, I—”
Charlie finds his son’s eyes and doesn’t let go. “I’m also afraid of you watching me die, like how I watched my parents...” He wipes a tear away, then he turns and sits down. “You’ll be getting off the plane in Hawaii.”
Eddy takes a breath and nods.
July shakes her head and walks over to Charlie. She extends her hand and places it on Charlie’s large, hairy arm. “Sir?”
“You know you’re a daughter to me too, right?” He sighs and looks away.
She shakes her head. “June was. I’m not sure what I am, but I’m sure of one thing…something I think you’re sure of, too.”
He looks up at her.
“I’m not what I used to be.”
He nods. “I know.”
She gently gives his arm a little squeeze. “I’m joining this mission.”
He exhales and blows his cheeks open. “Your dad’s going to kill you…and me if I don’t send you back.”
“Don’t tell him you found me.”
Charlie scowls at her, then he stands. He places a hand on her shoulder. “We don’t lie to family.” He steps past her and toward the stairs. The knights in the way scatter. At the bottom of the stairs, he looks around and finds a phone’s handset. He picks it up. “Hello?”
“This is the copilot. What’s the problem back there? Did something break?”
“Don’t worry about it... I need to send a message. Can you do that?”
“Well, we’re out of range of any ground-based signals, but we have satellite-based Wi-Fi. Can you just use a phone?”
“Oh… Is there a network password or something?”
“Nah… Anything else?”
“No. Thanks.” Charlie hangs up the handset and pulls out his phone. He turns it on, and while he waits, he looks out the window. His phone vibrates to life in his hand. Emails over the ocean. And now, sending the first mission update of bad news…
Bad omen.
Jambavan finally has his broken bones reset. The doctors put a cast on his right forearm, and because that arm’s collar bone was also fractured, he rests his arm in a sling. He finishes a pint of blood, then he walks out of the hospital, away from all the people and the other knights. He tours the edge of the grounds. He listens to the distant traffic and the breeze washing over the leaves on the trees, and he allows his mind to wand
er.
Under an oak tree, a pair of black-and-red sport bikes are parked. He pauses at them and smirks, remembering his youth in Cairo. That was the last straw, when I stole that motorcycle with my friends. What kind was it? He shakes his head and eyes the motorcycles in front of him. These are more stylish, that’s for sure. But that little bike was fun...while it lasted.
He remembers the look on his parents’ faces when a local vampire knight brought him home by the scruff of the neck. They didn’t feed me that night. It must have been only a day or two until Korina took me. I told her I’d trust her, always.
He drops his head and purses his lips. I wasn’t ready for you to go.
One footstep after another, Jambavan completes his loop of the grounds and reaches the parking area outside the ER. As he walks past, a car’s door shuts, and a voice calls out.
“Hey there. You’re, uh, Jambyvan or something, right?”
He looks over. Danny, the Vietnam War veteran who flew the Chinook helicopter to rescue the tour group, stands beside an old Cadillac. He’s wearing slacks, a button down, and a tie, and he holds a bouquet of pink flowers. Jambavan nods. “Hey. Danny, right?”
He walks over and motions with the bouquet toward Jambavan’s arm. “You’ll be alright in a little while, I take it?”
He nods. “I suppose.”
“I’m clued in to y’all, by the by, and I’m sorry that you lost your knight.”
Jambavan starts walking again toward the hospital. “Thanks.”
“Hold on there.” Danny checks his watch. “You’re not in a rush, are ya?”
He sighs. “No.”
Danny looks around, spots a pickup truck, and walks over to it. “Come sit with me.” He drops down the rear gate, then as spry as a man in love, he hops up. He sets the flowers on the gate beside him, and he pulls out his phone.
Jambavan hops up on the other side.
Danny swipes to a photo gallery, then holds his phone up. “This is Laurie.”
