The Immortal Coil

by J. Armand

  It sounded like the monsters were scattered throughout the grounds, but I had no way of telling how many of them there were. Hopefully, Noah would just take care of them all before they found me so we could get out of here. A growl came from the other side of the hedges, and it was moving fast. Those things were cutting through the maze. With no way to tell what sort of progress Noah was making, I would have to figure out some way to help, or else they would reach the chateau. Despite impending doom, the classical music from the party was starting up again as if the dancers hadn’t a care in the world.

  I crept to the first intersection, trying not to get ambushed from either side. The pounding footsteps on the ground followed by unearthly growls made me wish I were back in the company of the Archios. A violent rustling from a hedge nearby made me tense up. I knew what was coming, but I was still unprepared.

  A roughly human figure came bounding out toward me. It was further mutated than any of the infected people in New York. Most of the mutant’s clothes were torn off, but it was nearly impossible to discern what they had looked like originally. I could make out the same black veins and creepy eyes, but it was so deformed that there were no longer any discernible facial or body features. The skin was sunken-in, like it had suffered from a sudden extreme weight loss. If these people had any shred of life left in them, they were suffering badly.

  One look at the monster’s claws and I wanted to run, but it wasn’t about to give me the chance. A thick fog was rolling in, making visibility even more of a problem. I had no clue how effective my powers would be without a weapon to use them on. I held my breath and put out my hands in front of me as the creature charged.

  I hit a home run, as I knocked the creature back through the bushes much further than I expected. The fog was blinding now, obscuring the little visibility I had to start with. However, the crash the creature made when it landed must have alerted the rest of them. Their snarls and trampling footsteps were all headed in the direction of their fallen friend. The distraction might work in my favor if I could navigate the maze swiftly to the fountain where Noah said to meet.

  The maze felt like it went on for miles. Turn after turn was just getting me more lost, but I could hear running water somewhere close by, so my port in the storm shouldn’t be too far off. I didn’t know why I had agreed to this, or how I was expected to kill these mutants, but it wouldn’t be the first time in my life I had been talked into something I didn’t want to do. Another one of the creatures ran past the intersection ahead, but didn’t notice me. I crouched down and snuck over to where it came from to check for the fountain.

  A guttural howl from above caught my attention in time to see one of the mutants descending from over the hedges. It landed on top of me and knocked me over. I panicked and tried to push it off, but couldn’t. There was barely an inch between our faces as it tried biting mine off. It was hard to concentrate on knocking the creature away during the struggle, although my life depended on it.

  It was now or never. If I wasn’t able to use my power, I would die. Painfully.

  My head throbbed as I strained to launch the mutant into the air. It soared ten feet, then twenty feet, thirty feet, until I lost sight of it. I never thought my power would have this kind of effect. I got back up and leaped out of the way just in time for the creature to collide with the ground. It was crippled and broken, but that still didn’t stop it from lurching after me.

  I started running toward the sound of the fountain, but was tackled from the side as another of the mutants burst out from the bushes. I felt a stabbing pain followed by the warm sensation of blood trickling down my forearm. The creature had its teeth lodged deep into my arm and was attempting to tear the meat from the bone. I was in too much shock to yell, but I managed to pry the creature off and send him flying backward.

  Black viscous drool from the mutant’s mouth was mixing with the bite it had taken out of me. The way to the fountain was now blocked by all of the creatures, which had heard the fighting. The first one I had encountered was at my feet, gripping my ankle. I was trapped and frantic to find a way out. More of the mutants closed in, clawing and slashing at me from behind.

  Hands grabbed at the back of my shirt, making me fall and hit my head. As I lost consciousness all of the sounds of the night swirled inside my head. I could feel the creatures closing in on me. Everything faded to red and then black until finally the pain stopped.

  I woke up in another of the chateau’s bedrooms with a peculiar salty-sweet taste in my mouth. I put my fingers to my lips.

  It was … blood?

  I felt good — lucid even, for someone who had just been through hell. The cuts and scrapes on my arm were gone and I wasn’t in pain or tired anymore. I checked my other arm, hoping the bite was also mysteriously healed. There wasn’t any pain or bleeding, but the deep holes made by the mutant’s teeth were still wide open and the veins surrounding the wounds had turned black. Staring at the infected bite made me sick to my stomach.

  This can’t be happening … I’m going to turn into one of those things.

  I got up to look around the room for something to wrap my arm with. The bedroom’s decor was completely different from the rest of the chateau. In place of the oil paintings, display cases, and expensive vases were weapons, and a lot of them. This had to be Noah’s room. All of the weapons were different kinds of katana, and several scrolls hanging on the walls had writing on them similar to his tattoos.

  “Don’t touch my stuff.” Noah’s voice startled me as I was leaning in to look at one of the swords.

  “It would have been great to have had one of these out there,” I said turning to him. “Now I’m going to become one of those things, aren’t I?”

  “Yeah, about that …” Noah hopped up onto an antique seventeenth-century dresser like it was some piece of cheaply manufactured furniture. “I fed you some of my blood to help fight the infection.”

  “You what?” I shouted in disgust. Without the Archios using their alluring aura to entrance me, my feelings of hopelessness and dread returned. “What is that going to do to me? I don’t want to be undead or a mutant! I just want to be normal!”

  “That’s not how it works. You need to have died recently for my blood to turn you. Basically, your soul can’t have passed on to the afterlife yet,” Noah clarified. “Our blood is good for healing; as I’m sure you noticed, your other cuts are gone. It’s gonna get burned off by the infection after a while though.”

  “How long until that happens? And what do I do when it does?”

  “Who knows? But I guess we’ll find out soon enough!” he exclaimed just a little too enthusiastically. Noah’s callous personality was easily equal to or even beyond his physical appearance and fighting skills. I didn’t think he could keep himself from acting like a complete asshole for more than a few minutes at best. “Stop admiring me for a second. This is serious. You can’t tell anyone I gave you my blood. Anyone. Got it?”

  “I wasn’t …” I forgot he could read minds. Of course, with his ego he would interpret my thoughts as a compliment, so it was futile explaining myself. “It’s not like people would believe me anyway, but what does it matter if somebody like us knows?”

  “Because it’s forbidden. Not only does it reveal us to humans, but then we’d have people creating armies of superhumans if everyone did it.”

  “You don’t seem like the type that follows the rules.”

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t, and now I don’t want anyone to know about it. I’m kind of old, so my blood is more powerful than that of the other Archios. If someone is still after you and they get my blood, it can be used against me.”

  “Just how old are you?”

  “Almost two hundred years,” he boasted.

  “My, that is quite the exaggeration,” came Vivian’s smooth voice from the doorway.

  “You’re just an old hag, Vivi,” Noah laughed, and flashed her his signature grin. Vivian gingerly unsheathed a katana, checking her refl
ection in the blade before replacing it.

  “You are very lucky that age is a symbol of status, Monsieur Burckhardt.” She strolled over behind him and walked her fingertips across his shoulders.

  “Now, tell me why I needed to search all over for you. You know Aurelia wishes to speak with you.” Vivian spoke softly in his ear from behind him. She placed her hand over the tattoos on his chest.

  “Funny, I thought this was my room,” he teased and leaned back against her. “Checking here first would make sense to me.”

  “You are only ever here if you are hiding something,” she said as she dug her nails into his pecs just enough to draw blood.

  “Damn it,” he said, and grabbed her by the wrist. “You know I hate having to get my ink redone.”

  She let go and licked her finger with a mischievous smile. The cut on his chest had already healed by the time she backed away, leaving a tiny gap in the writing.

  “Your tattoo should be the least of your worries. Aurelia isn’t too pleased with your performance tonight. You failed at something so simple,” she scolded him.

  “I don’t fail,” he scowled. “It isn’t my fault the kid can’t take care of himself.”

  I might as well have been mounted up on the wall with the swords. They were so absorbed in their conversation they didn’t notice, or maybe they didn’t care, that I was in the room.

  “I’m sure that will go over famously with her. At least I will be abroad when it happens.”

  “You’re going to America? Without me? Why?”

  “New York is quickly slipping through our fingers with Price no longer in control. The same creatures have besieged at least one hospital, a hotel, and a police station in only a few hours. The remaining Archios we have there are doing their best to cover it up as wanton acts of violence, but there is only so much they can clean up without a source of leadership,” she said.

  “How are you planning on actually eliminating the problem?”

  “I will recruit help once I’m there. We must contain this at all costs, with the humans unable to do so.”

  “I could clear those things out with no problem,” he bragged.

  “Really? Could you?” she antagonized.

  “Let it go, Vivi. If I had known what I was working with out there, things would have gone differently tonight.”

  “I worry about you, that’s all,” she said, and placed her hand on the side of his face.

  “There’s no reason to. You did a pretty good job teaching me a thing or two.” Hearing Noah speak genuinely was kind of shocking. Their interactions together were always interesting, to say the least, but it was hard to tell what the relationship between them was.

  “It doesn’t look as bad as I had imagined.” Vivian glanced over at my arm, finally noticing me standing there. “I thought he would have turned by now. I’ve heard in New York it was taking only a few hours upon infection. Curious that he has no other bruises. Don’t you think so, Noah?”

  I didn’t need to be a mind reader to tell that he was already busted.

  “Isn’t that something?” Noah went to stare out the window, looking for a distraction to change the subject.

  “Now I see why you were hiding with him here. I hope you know what you’re doing. Aurelia is busy with matters concerning her sister, so I suggest you tread lightly.”

  “Haven’t they been feuding for years? What’s up with Rozalin now?”

  “There was news that she was staked and burned.”

  “Nice, that calls for a drink. But, I’m sure she’ll be back.”

  “Oui, she is unmatched in her field of magic. When she does return, she will most certainly feel that Aurelia was involved in her death and come to make trouble, so be on guard.” Vivi moved to the door. “It will be dawn soon. I’ve arranged for one of the drivers to take our young guest to the airport. The private jet will be waiting to return him to Boston.”

  “I get to go home?” I couldn’t hold back my excitement. Finally some good news.

  “Yes, child. It isn’t safe here any longer, especially during the day, if you can’t defend yourself,” she said and addressed Noah before leaving. “Take care of yourself in my absence, Monsieur Burckhardt.”

  “I’m ready to go home,” I said, hurrying to the door. I couldn’t care less about my arm if I could make it back to Boston.

  “Not yet, you’re not. You’re mine until sunrise.” I didn’t like the sound of this.

  “You’re not talking about sucking my blood, are you?”

  “I’m sure you’d like that, wouldn’t you? But no, I don’t want to catch what you have and I’m sure it tastes terrible, too.”

  We were outside again in an instant thanks to his blazing speed. I could see the main chateau not far across the lawn. Noah’s room was actually in a smaller chateau on the property, and we were now standing on top of it.

  “Ready to fly?” he asked.

  “Considering I’m dying of an infected bite, no, not really!”

  “The high ground almost always has the tactical advantage and you need all the help you can get.”

  “I don’t care about tactics,” I said, peering off the edge. “Tactics aren’t going to mean anything if I don’t find a cure!”

  “You’re probably going to die a lot sooner if you hit the ground from this height. Ready?” Noah didn’t allow me any more time to protest. Instead, he tossed me off of the roof to my death.

  It was too dark and high up to see the ground clearly. I had to fight the urge to close my eyes, since I needed to see to use my powers. If I just tried to pull myself up by my arm or leg I’d wind up tearing them off when falling this fast.

  The ground was rapidly coming into view as I hurtled downward. Only a few feet were left before I made a bloody impact, and I still couldn’t figure out how to fly.

  My nose was in the grass when suddenly I stopped short an inch away from smashing my face in. I dangled there a moment, realizing that Noah had caught me by my shirt.

  “What is wrong with you!” I shouted.

  He dumped me on the ground at his feet. “You weren’t even trying.”

  “I never said I wanted to.” I got up, hoping he was done with whatever he was trying to prove.

  “You don’t want to because you’re scared, and that’s the worst excuse for failure.” He pointed to the first line of the Asian tattoo on his flank. “These proverbs are what I’ve learned to live by since I was turned. This one means ‘Fear is failure’.”

  It was frustrating trying to get him to listen, but I figured he wasn’t going to give up a chance to hear himself speak. As long as he could keep catching me there wasn’t any real harm in trying until he got bored and left me alone.

  “Fine, I’ll try again,” I said, already back up on the roof with him. “But what I’m more scared about, if I live through this, is my infection.”

  “If you really want to learn through fear, then I’ll give you some real motivation.” I felt him push me off of the building. In a flash, he was below me holding something in his hands. As I fell closer, I could see him standing there with his swords out and ready to strike. This guy was nuts. He was really prepared to kill me over making a point.

  I kept hoping he would put his weapons away, but he stood his ground. I concentrated everything I had on envisioning lifting myself up. The wind slowed against my face as I began to glide and steady myself out. I closed my eyes as I neared the ground and put my hands out, preparing for a rough landing.

  My left forearm grazed the tip of Noah’s sword as I passed, making me flinch and lose control. I wiped out and tumbled across the grass, ending up facedown.

  “You got my sword dirty,” Noah said, rolling me onto my back with his boot.

  I glared up at him as he wiped his blade on my shirt. I was hoping he was reading my mind so my opinion of him at the moment would come through loud and clear.

  “What are you so upset about?” he asked. “You almost flew, didn’t you?” I w
ouldn’t have called it flying, but it was progress, I guess.

  “Life is never going to go back to the way it was.” Noah’s words cut deep. That was exactly what I didn’t want to hear. “This is who you really are. It’s time you stop hiding and man up, because no matter how much you pretend you can’t do something, it doesn’t mean that other people out there don’t know. You either learn to use your powers or you’ll die, sometimes twice.”

  All of a sudden we were on the roof again. I was still angry and hurting as I plummeted to the earth for a third time. Noah was standing guard beneath me with his swords unsheathed and there was no doubt in my mind he was ready to use them. My first thought was to knock him over, but I could see that going horribly wrong. I balanced myself out the same as before, but this time made it over him without getting nicked. The earth shook under me as I landed forcefully on my feet behind him.

  I stood up triumphantly. This was the most progress I had made trying to fly, but my joy came to a quick end. I felt a sharp pain along the back of my arm, followed by the warm sensation of my blood again.

  “What the heck was wrong this time?” I turned to look at him. Noah cleaned his blade again.

  “You didn’t fly.”

  “Did you see what I just did? I landed on my feet. That’s close enough.” I was proud of myself and that was what mattered most. “I can move things because I can see them. I can’t see myself, so I can’t fly. Just let it go already.”

  He put both katana back in their sheaths. “Close your eyes.”

  “No way. I don’t even trust you with them open.” Now both of my arms were stinging in pain as blood dripped down them.

  Noah crossed his arms impatiently.

  “Fine.” I gave in and closed them.

  “Touch your nose,” he ordered.

  “What was the point of that?” I said, having followed his directions. This was suspiciously easy coming from him, but I shouldn’t complain.