Raven's Blood

by Cassandra Lawson

Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Convincing Connor to let her make most of the trip to the human settlement alone hadn’t been easy. She’d had to promise to slip out of the parts of the woods visible by humans and vampires as much as possible. He’d reluctantly left her at the edge of the woods. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t wanted him to travel farther with her, but she knew it was too dangerous. If the humans saw her with the vampires, they’d likely attack to rescue her. She couldn’t put everyone’s lives at risk that way.

  The number of turned vampires in the woods near the human settlement shocked her. Luckily, she was able to easily pass them unseen. It made her more sure she’d made the right decision to warn her friends. If they were this close to the human settlement, it was only a matter of time before they found the tunnel. She’d be surprised if there hadn’t already been some casualties.

  It was a relief to find Layla and Danny on guard duty at the tunnel gate. Layla practically knocked Raven over in a hug when she saw her.

  “I can’t believe you’re still alive!” Layla shrieked. “We all thought you were dead. How did you escape?” Layla had always been tiny. She was a couple inches shorter than Raven. Like Raven, she was much stronger than she appeared. Her blonde hair rested just below her shoulders, and her brown eyes were full of joy. Raven had truly missed her.

  Danny stayed back, regarding her with distrust. Raven couldn’t blame him for his doubts. No one in the settlement trusted vampires. Up until recently, Raven hadn’t trusted any of them. She’d believed they were all sadistic and cruel. In fact, she’d been the one to train Danny and Layla to fight vampires.

  She missed Connor, and she felt a lump form in her throat every time she thought about the possibility of never seeing him again.

  “They let me go,” Raven explained.

  Danny looked even more skeptical. “Why would the vampires just let you go, Raven? No one has ever come back once they were captured. We thought you might be able to escape at first, but not once they got you to their settlement. Now, I’m supposed to believe that after months of captivity, they just let you go?”

  Layla’s eyes widened when she noticed the knife in Danny’s hand. “What are you doing, Danny? This is Raven. You’ve known her since you were a whiny little boy.”

  “I don’t blame him for being suspicious,” Raven told Layla, trying to keep her voice soothing. “I would have felt the same before. There’s a lot you don’t know, and some of it is going to seem very hard to believe. I need to see Graham before we talk about what happened. We’re all in danger, and we need to figure out what’s going on.”

  “What danger?” Layla asked.

  “If you take me to Graham, I’ll explain everything,” she assured them.

  “Fine,” Danny agreed with a curt nod. “I’ll take you to Graham after you’ve been searched.”

  “Danny!” Layla snapped at him.

  Raven put a hand on Layla’s arm. “He’s right. You have no reason to trust me. I’m just going to take my sticks out and put them on the ground.”

  She started to reach behind her back, but Danny stopped her. “Don’t move! I’ll get them out.”

  Raven put her hands up. “Fine, you get them.”

  He stalked over and removed her eskrima sticks from the harness on her back. “Now, I’m supposed to believe they also let you go with your weapons? Seems like you got a little too cozy with your undead friends.”

  Raven sighed. “I don’t blame you for not trusting me, but you could at least speak respectfully to me. You’ve known me most of your life, and I have always been good to you.”

  Danny’s cheeks flushed, and he looked guilty as he patted her down. Even with the amount of time they spent outside, his skin had always tended to be pale, so it stood out more when he was embarrassed or angry. He’d inherited his complexion, along with his dark red hair and green eyes, from his father. When he was satisfied she didn’t have any other weapons, Danny unlocked the gate to the tunnel and motioned her forward. “Walk in front of me.”

  Raven smiled to herself when he handed her a flashlight, figuring he couldn’t be too angry or distrustful if he wanted to make sure she didn’t fall. Danny knew a flashlight was a good weapon.

  Decades ago, the tunnel had been maintained so cars could pass through it. There were lighting fixtures, but they had long ago stopped using those. There were very few generators, and they just couldn’t produce enough electricity, or steal enough light bulbs, to keep the tunnel lit. Raven doubted anything was made to fit in the old lighting fixtures. It was probably just as well. The tunnel hadn’t been attractive in the early days when it had still been relatively well-maintained. Now, the paint along the walls was chipped and there was water damage. The rail along the old pedestrian walkway was missing sections and should probably be taken out before it fell on someone. The road beneath her feet was made of broken asphalt. Near the opening where there was still some light, plants grew up from the giant cracks. The tunnel smelled of mold, and she suspected it was leaking in places. They tried to fix the leaks, but new ones always seemed to pop up. At one time, there had been another tunnel, which had become unusable due to flooding. There had also been three bridges, but they’d been destroyed to secure the island once known as Alameda.

  Raven often wondered what they’d do when this tunnel became unusable. While boats were still used on occasion, it was dangerous. To be honest, it wouldn’t be hard to swim across. The problem was both sides of the shoreline were guarded. On the island side, it was the humans from the settlement guarding the waters. On the other side, they weren’t sure who was on guard, but people had been killed trying to take boats across on several occasions.

  As always, Raven was relieved when she reached the end of the tunnel. It was a long walk in an enclosed area, and she felt like she was suffocating by the end. Years ago, they’d used bicycles, but the pavement was too treacherous for that now. There were still some off-road vehicles that were used when someone needed to make a longer trip. Those made it through the tunnel okay, but they were rarely used because many ran on gasoline, which was next to impossible to find. The ones that ran on electricity were starting to become unusable because the batteries no longer held much of a charge. She wondered idly how much blood Connor would want in exchange for some of the newer off-road vehicles. Then she realized it was unlikely he’d be willing to trade those while the humans still hated his people since it would make them more dangerous.

  Once they exited the tunnel, they were able to take bicycles the rest of the way. The paved roads hadn’t fared any better outside of the tunnel, but they’d long ago removed them, and the dirt paths were fine for bicycles. Luckily, they kept extra bicycles by the tunnel in case one was in need of repair. After they parked the bicycles, she walked through the community she’d once called home.

  The rundown military housing seemed sad with its chipped brown paint. It was row after row of two and three-bedroom homes above carports. The carports were mainly used as outside sitting areas. People preferred to stay outside when the weather was nice enough, and Raven couldn’t blame them. The interior of the homes was in just as poor repair as the exterior. Many had broken windows allowing the elements to take their toll over the years. Only a few had hot water, so they shared with the others for bathing. Since electricity was rationed, they had to be careful how much they heated their homes using the few remaining space heaters.

  The one thing all the homes had was nice furnishings. With the woods surrounding the settlement, there was plenty of wood. They’d also managed to collect enough livestock before things got really bad to provide them with meat, milk, eggs, wool, and animal skins. Raven’s skill had helped them start a farm to provide adequate vegetables and fruit. Food was still rationed, but no one starved. Still, so much could be improved if they made peace with the born vampires.

  The unease she felt on the way to meet Graham, made Raven feel guilty. It always did. Graham had done a lot for their community. Both
his father and grandfather had been leaders for their people, too. Graham’s grandfather had brought in the original supplies to the old military base and worked with her father to secure it. Graham’s father had started a program to keep a small group of humans educated in science and medicine so they could work on finding a cure for the Moon virus.

  Still, there was something about Graham and the other members of the leadership council that didn’t sit right with her. While there were several people on the leadership council, it seemed important decisions were made by Graham and his two friends, Miles and Roger. Graham had final say, but he seemed to take counsel from his friends. The other council members seemed more like anonymous figureheads.

  As she neared the building housing the council, warning bells started going off in her head, making her wonder if her loyalties really had been compromised by her time with Connor.

  The building where Graham and his council lived differed greatly from the rest of the settlement. It had been built after they’d secured the island. From the outside, it was nothing fancy, a large two-story boxy looking building with a steeply sloped roof. The paint was a pristine white. There was a stockpile of paint reserved for the main building. Graham’s grandfather had insisted it was important to have one area to remind people of what they’d had before the vampires so they would fight to get it back. They weren’t really fighting to get anything back now, just fighting to survive. Raven had always thought it was selfish, and they should paint the homes of the others at least every decade or so.

  Raven knew there was a lab area in the building. She’d donated blood there for decades to help with experiments to find a better vaccine for the Moon virus. As she walked into the building, she noticed the contrast between it and the homes more than usual. It was clean and well-lit. The temperature outside was probably slightly chilly to the humans, but it was warm in this building.

  They found Graham surrounded by his council in the meeting room. Graham’s eyes widened with surprise when he saw her, and he rose to give her an awkward hug. “Raven, I cannot believe you escaped those creatures!”

  He’d always gone by his last name. His father had been killed by vampires when he’d gone out with a research team. Graham had been in his twenties at the time. Now, he was in his forties, and Raven thought he still looked good for his age. His blond hair had always been thin, but his face was unlined. The same seemed true for Miles and Roger who were both whispering furiously to each other.

  “They let me go,” Raven admitted, knowing it would lead to suspicion. If Danny doubted her, Graham would. “I know that sounds strange, but there were unusual circumstances.”

  Graham stepped back and motioned to one of the council members. The woman, whose name Raven couldn’t remember, got up and walked out of the room.

  “You look good for someone who’s been held captive by vampires,” Roger remarked in an amicable voice.

  Graham’s attention shifted to Danny and Layla. “It might be best if you took Layla out of here while we talk to Raven, Danny. This matter will only upset her.”

  Raven was surprised Graham knew Danny and Layla’s names, since she wasn’t sure they’d ever met before.

  “I’m not leaving Raven,” Layla insisted and spun on Danny. “And I’m not going anywhere with you until you apologize to her.”

  “Graham is right.” Raven gave Layla a reassuring smile, hoping her friend wouldn’t see through it. “We can catch up after I meet with Graham. Some of this will just upset you, and it won’t help matters any.” Raven had a bad feeling and wanted to get her friends away from whatever was about to happen.

  Layla hesitated but finally nodded. When Danny reached out to take her arm, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and jerked away from him before stalking out in front of Danny. After Layla and Danny left, Graham motioned for Raven to sit down.

  The room probably had more lights running than all the other buildings combined. The higher-ups lived there, and they lived as comfortably as the vampires she’d just stayed with. They all had apartments in the main building, and even though she’d never been in one, she suspected they weren’t lacking any of the luxuries the other humans went without. She wondered how she’d failed to notice these things before.

  “Now,” Graham began with a slight edge to his voice, “tell me what happened while you were held captive. Can you find a way to get back in? What are their weaknesses?”

  “I’m sure you’ve already heard what happened during the raid on the hospital,” Raven began.

  Graham nodded. “Yes, your bravery saved your team from being slaughtered, or worse.” He shuddered and gave a look of horror, both lacking sincerity.

  “Actually, my bravery wasn’t necessary,” Raven told him. “The vampires planned to let us go. Had I kept my mouth shut, I would have returned with my team.”

  Roger gave her a sympathetic look. “I’m sure that’s what they wanted you to believe. They are deceitful bastards who will say anything to get what they want. Most of them are just mindless, slobbering beasts, but the others are the most dangerous because they can reason and deceive.”

  “I know it’s hard to believe, but we’ve been wrong about them,” Raven said. “There are vampires who are mindless like we believed, and yes they are cruel and only care about blood. There are others who aren’t like that. Some are bad people but most aren’t. They’re a lot like humans. I know this may be hard to believe, but the ones that aren’t mindless have heartbeats and they can breed.”

  “Blood brats,” Graham sneered.

  Suddenly Raven knew trusting Graham had been a big mistake. “You already knew this, didn’t you?”

  “I know they took what should have been mine,” Graham replied angrily. “We gave them a place to live after the virus failed to do its job. We gave them protection and a way to earn blood. Then the ungrateful little bastards rebelled and took what belonged to me. I should be running things.”

  “They were forced to be sex slaves,” Raven argued.

  “They’re sexual creatures, and we allowed them to do what comes naturally to them,” Graham argued. “Don’t let them fool you, Raven.” His eyes raked her body in a lascivious manner. “You know what it’s like to be a sexual creature. You know what it’s like to be ruled by lust. We simply gave them a way to use that to survive.”

  “Connor has scars on his back from the beatings. Simon can barely tolerate being touched. Dear Goddess, some of them were children!” Then the rest of his words sank in. “Wait a minute! You were there. How is that even possible? Are you a vampire?”

  He looked like she’d struck him. “That’s a disgusting thought.”

  “Then how?” A small contingent of guards entered the room, all armed.

  “Clearly you’ve been influenced by the blood brats,” Graham began patiently. “We’ll need to keep you detained for your own safety.”

  When the guards surrounded her, Raven wanted to fight, but she knew it was hopeless. There were too many of them. Even if she got away, she had no hope of making it off of the island.

  “You’re making a huge mistake, Graham,” Raven began before turning her attention to Roger and Miles, hoping they would see reason. “There are newly turned vampires out there who are much too organized. They’re attacking in large groups, and someone is ordering them to destroy entire settlements. We have to be ready to fight them and whoever is making them. Humans are intentionally being infected with this new version of the Moon virus. The born vampires may be your only hope of survival.”

  Roger and Miles both laughed.

  “What’s so funny about this?” Raven asked desperately.

  Graham chuckled softy. “I’m not worried,” he assured her. “I finally figured out the best way to bring the blood brats down is with bigger and badder vampires. Soon I’ll return to power. You’re going to help me find a way into the blood brats’ settlement. I have a couple I want to extract for my own personal pleasure before destroying the rest of them.”


  “I will never help you,” Raven ground out as she glared at him.

  He laughed. “You’re already helping. Your blood has played a very important role in all of this.”

  “I can’t believe I trusted you. All these years I believed you were protecting the people here, but you’ve been lying to everyone. You knew all along there was a difference between born vampires and turned vampires. Do you know how they came into being?”

  He gave her a condescending smile. “Of course I know. My father’s company created the Moon virus. Naturally, it wasn’t supposed to turn people into vampires, just kill the poor. Isn’t it ironic that the leeches of society turned into leeches in reality? No one expected the quarantine of the country to last so long, and we certainly didn’t expect the blood whores to revolt.”

  “Why would they revolt against being enslaved?” Raven muttered.

  “None of that matters now,” Graham said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “We need to clean up this mess and eliminate the blood brats. Of course, we’ll keep the new breed. They know how to take orders, and we can use them. Your capture has actually worked to our advantage. I never dreamed I’d have someone here to give me details on how to take the blood brats down.”

  “You’re deranged,” Raven accused. “I am never going to help you destroy them.”

  “That’s too bad,” Graham remarked with a smirk. “It will be such a pity to have to torture Layla until you comply with my demands.”

  Raven felt her gut twist. “And you call them monsters?”

  “You leave me no choice,” he told her with a dismissive shrug. “I’ll give you some time to consider your options before I resort to violence.”

  As the guards led Raven out of the room, her heart sank. She never should have returned. She’d been a fool.