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Chapter 2
Finding A Base
After about half an hour, they arrived at the busy entrance to the City of Manaus. Disembarkation was smooth. Before Steven had a chance to think about it, he found himself back in the car with Ian at the wheel again. There was something déjà vu about the trip. Only difference being, this time there were more people in the car. He glanced at Judith as she waved at her daughter-in-law, Carmen, who remained on the boat. It had to be strange for Judith. He could see a trace of emotion of her face. He had not seen her cry yet. He had obviously inherited her tenacity. He did not do tears.
As Ian drove, Judith talked. She had perked up since she waved at Carmen and was now animated and chatty, as though in awe of everything around her. Civilisation – someone found it exciting. Jeff, on the other hand, nodded off and made very loud snoring sounds. He resembled a wounded animal.
Judith laughed aloud, ‘That explains why I never get a good night’s sleep.’
After that, silence ensued as everyone took cover within their own thoughts. The only sound that remained was the car engine purring along. As they started to approach the centre of the city the surroundings changed immediately. It was the middle of the day and people sold a variety of goods on the roadside. Some even braved running alongside the car, touting for business.
Ian veered away and parked the car in a quiet side street. It prompted Judith to wake Jeff by giving his shoulder a nudge. Jeff huffed aloud and stretched. His lazy eyes took in his surroundings and he nodded in apprehension. He opened the car door and got out as Judith passed him a small black rucksack. Then he made his way into a small building. The cash points at the entrance marked it out as a bank.
Steven glanced at Judith, ‘Do you have money then?’ The question was innocent enough.
‘Yes,’ Judith beamed, ‘We have money. The bank account has changed names many times of course, to keep up appearances. It was opened in Manaus in 1943. We have done very well over the years with investments. Your grandfather, Jeff, is a very prudent man. It’s time we got to spend some. I might even go shopping,’ Judith giggled.
‘I’ll come,’ Emily said, with what looked like a smile.
‘Done,’ Judith said. She turned, held Emily’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
Ian rolled his eyes. ‘You come back out and the first thing you think of is shopping – typical.’
Judith guffawed. ‘Now, you see my cunning plan. I just missed real shops.’
Steven was amused by the exchange. For the first time, he started to see them more as people, not potential vampires. Vampires seemed like such a stupid description now. He certainly wasn’t one.
After twenty minutes Jeff sauntered back and returned to his seat, a cocky smile on his face.
‘Done?’ Ian asked.
Jeff patted the bag on his lap. ‘No problem.’
Ian started the engine. A short drive later, they stopped again at a rundown garage. A selection of cars with hand drawn for sale signs waited on the forecourt. None of them had any appeal for Steven so he opted to wait in the car as the others looked around. It was unfortunate Emily decided to stay in the car too, but he was not going to leave because of her. His ankle alone was a good enough reason not to move.
Emily turned to face him and said, ‘They’re going to buy a car.’
‘Right,’ Steven replied. It was obvious. Did she think he was stupid?
Emily turned away and stared in the distance. She spoke again without facing him. ‘Are you comfortable?’
Steven shrugged, but did not answer straight away. He wondered if it was a serious question. ‘Sure, I’m just fine.’ There was a hint of sarcasm in his reply, he couldn’t help it.
Emily nodded and did not say anything else. They sat in silence, an awkward silence.
After what must have been a painstaking half an hour Ian came over to the passenger side and leaned on the door frame. He glared at Emily, then Steven. ‘Don’t do anything stupid now. I’ll be going. I guess…good luck seems apt,’ There was a hint of menace in his tone.
Emily kept her eyes on the dashboard and remained tight lipped as she replied, ‘We’ll be fine.’
Ian huffed, unconvinced.
Steven figured there was nothing he could do about it. When Ian gave his parents a giant hug Steven figured Ian might actually be capable of some emotion. The moment did not last as he narrowed his eyes in their direction, got back into the other car and drove off.
It was time to go it alone. Well, with his grandparents and mother. Happy days.
When the cheap hotel, with its tacky fluorescent sign, came into view Steven’s shoulders slumped. Inside, Jeff spoke the local dialect of Portuguese and secured the rooms. A man with a missing tooth and greasy shoulder length hair handed over a set of keys as he winked at Emily. Steven glared at him and the man’s face paled, before he turned and practically ran into the back office. Was he intimidating now? Perhaps, there was something positive about his change. It was interesting. Steven had no idea what the man saw.
A sweet smell, mixed with cheap aftershave and pungent body odour, tempted. Was the sweet smell of blood? Could he smell it? Steven was not sure. Even so, the bad smell overpowered the good. The man was not on the menu. He could not believe he had even contemplated it.
Once in his room, Steven collapsed on the bed. In the doorway, Emily stopped for a second before coming in and taking a seat on the twin bed opposite his. Jeff and Judith followed.
‘This is hard.’ Judith leaned into Jeff, her hand fused into his. ‘I am hungry, or thirsty. I don’t know – I could barely smile. The last thing I wanted was for my extended fangs to come into view. We are monsters.’
‘We’re not monsters. We just have different needs.’ Jeff enveloped her in his arms and kissed her head.
The show of affection was nauseating. It was great they were still in love, but it was the last thing Steven wanted to see.
‘Monsters that drink blood.’ Emily stared out of the window. Did she ever smile?
‘I could smell it,’ Steven admitted. His head low.
Jeff paced slowly in the small space. ‘Scientifically speaking we could lead symbiotic relationships with normal humans.’ He always spoke like Steven’s school professors. Anything he said always sounded plausible.
‘So what do they gain from us?’ Emily looked over her left shoulder as she rolled her eyes.
‘Nothing much necessarily, I grant you that. They help us stay alive.’ A broad smile set across Jeff’s face.
‘Look, we are not here to become something we are not, but we can’t feel bad about what we instinctively want to do,’ Judith added. Her tone serious now, this was no joking matter.
‘Well I’m glad that you’re all happy. So what happens now?’ Steven asked.
‘You have to feed and so do we. We just have to maintain self-control. That is the little problem.’ Jeff grimaced.
‘I won’t have a problem with that,’ Steven stated, his head held high, defiant.
‘You can say that now, but you can’t be certain,’ Emily snapped.
Steven had noticed the way she clenched and unclenched her fists.
‘Look, we have to stay focused,’ Judith said. It seemed like some of her earlier enthusiasm was starting to wane. ‘We are here to help Steven get better, not to argue.’
Jeff started to laugh and sat down on the wonky chair in the corner of the room. ‘Now we’re acting like a family.’
***
Judith was entranced as she walked down the street. It was such a simple thing; walking, holding hands. Yet, it was a new experience. It had been a long time since she had been out in the open. She felt exposed, overwhelmed and yet, liberated. Unfortunately, the moment was short lived. All around her temptation beckoned. She would not remain relaxed for long. The taste and smell of human blood hung thick in the air.
‘Shall we have a drink?’ Jeff motioned towards the café.
At a small table for two she watched the array of cars zooming past. She could not understand why everyone seemed to be in such a hurry.
A petite waitress came up to the table and took their order. Judith diverted her gaze.
When she had gone Jeff placed his hand on hers. ‘We have to look for a place to stay. There are many abandoned buildings that are reasonably habitable around. We just have to find the right one.’
‘Why don’t we drive around and find somewhere?’
‘That’s a good idea.’
A few minutes later the waitress arrived with two coffees and two huge helpings of bolo de macaxeira, the local speciality. Judith was momentarily distracted from the temptation to feed by the cake. It looked and smelled delicious. With the small fork she took a piece and savoured it. It tasted just as she remembered.
Jeff followed suit and washed it down with some coffee.
Once she had eaten half the cake Judith had to tell Jeff what was on her mind. ‘This is very nice but you know it does not really help. We will have to go and hunt soon, otherwise I might do something I’ll regret.’ She glanced at the table nearby where two men sat deep in conversation. By the cut of their suits she could tell they were businessmen, foreign by the sound of it. Would anyone notice their absence? They spoke Spanish, probably Mexicans. It would take only two seconds to snap both of their necks. Judith shook her head in an attempt to erase the thought.
Jeff followed her eyes and frowned. ‘I’m tired of ignoring what we are.’
She nearly freaked. It was as though he had read her mind.
‘We should do the right thing,’ Jeff said. It was an afterthought.
Judith finished her drink and stretched out her hand to touch Jeff’s face. ‘We made our choice many years ago. We can’t change now. Let’s go and find somewhere to stay and then decide on a strategy to make our grandson better.’
‘You know, for the first time the word grandson makes me feel old.’
‘We’ve always been old in the community, at least, compared to everyone else.’ She picked at the placemat.
‘In my eyes you’ve always been the prettiest.’
Judith ran her hand through her hair, ‘Always the charmer.’
She could not help a quick glance at the men. It was hard to ignore the smell, the lure. It was driving her crazy.
For the first time, in a long time, she had found a new sense of freedom but she was torn. Life in the community revolved around chores and roles, routine was a good thing. It did not put her in the path of temptation. Yet, it felt so good to just spend some time with her husband without responsibility. It was tiring for Jeff to be in charge. He played the role well, but it was demanding. They were carefree again, with no burden or responsibility. They were just another couple in love.
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Chapter 3
Recovery
Emily had not left Steven’s side. She suspected he would be glad to get rid of her. His face had said it all when he was told he would have to share a room with her. In the stifled silence that followed Steven fell asleep. She would wait. She had never been the patient type; it gave her too much time to think. The last thing she needed to do was to over think her plan. She had to take her time. When her parents returned they would finalise a plan, then she would know what she would do. It was too early to leave. She needed to know if Steven needed her. There was a near enough certain chance he didn’t.
They needed to find somewhere inconspicuous. Time stopped for no-one. Steven’s recovery had to get into motion. She heard a huge yawn and realised Steven was finally coming back to earth. She could not believe her baby was a man. As he rubbed his eyes, stretched his arms up into the air and sat up she found it hard to believe he was her son. Unshaved with wake up hair, he did not resemble the cute baby she had left. He did remind her of Paul. She wondered what Paul looked like now. She hoped to find out soon.
A barely audible grunt followed, ‘I’m starving, when are we going to eat?’
‘We have to wait for Jeff and Judith to return.’ She did not know if he would ever call them grandfather and grandmother so she decided to use their Christian names. ‘Here, you can have a chocolate bar in the meantime. I got some in a store by the garage.’
Steven un-wrapped the bar and wolfed it down in three bites. ‘Now that hits a tiny spot.’
‘I’m glad. How’s your foot?’
‘I try to ignore it, when I move it’s in agony.’
‘Did the plaster cast they put on it help?’
‘I guess. More pain relief would be good.’
‘We’ll get you some.’ Emily stood up and looked out of the window. The pane was dirty. The place was disgusting. A group of children played in the basketball court across the room. She wondered what it was like, to be so free. She turned her thoughts to the present. ‘Look I know that you don’t want to feed from a human, but you do understand it’s the only way right?’
‘If I am due to live a long life, yes I get the point.’
‘Good, so are you up to going out tonight?’
‘Tonight?’ Steven’s eyebrows narrowed.
She could not afford to sound apprehensive. In a confident voice, she replied, ‘The sooner the better. We need to know what difference it’ll make.’
Steven stared at the floor. ‘Fine, I’ll do whatever you need me to do. Tonight it is.’
Emily suppressed her concern. She hated what he was going to have to do. It would change everything. There was a strong chance it would bring out the hunger. He could become just like her.
***
Jeff and Judith made their way back into the hotel, and knocked on the door.
Emily opened it, a look of exasperation set across her face, ‘Finally!’
The honeymoon period was over. Peace never lasted. Emily stepped aside and Judith noticed Steven raise his head.
‘We have found a house where we can stay. It’s safe and habitable and not out in the open,’ Jeff said.
‘Oh, great,’ Emily’s features relaxed.
Judith was glad Jeff got straight to the point – they had actually been doing something useful. She hoped Emily would loosen up soon, she seemed so tense.
Judith looked in Steven’s direction. He did not look good. ‘We got you some more pain relief.’
Steven nodded.
‘The city is huge and there are plenty of opportunities available. The fact that Steven looks frail will also be an advantage,’ Jeff said, ‘Steven, we are not asking you to kill. You just need to take enough to survive and more importantly to heal.’
‘We can go to one of the areas where the homeless hang out if you would prefer?’ Judith asked. She did not know if that would ease the blow.
‘Whatever. It’s too late for me to have a huge amount of input. If it relieves the pain I’ll do it. I won’t kill, I know I won’t.’ Steven voiced his thoughts but his eyes betrayed his true feelings. You could tell his heart was not in it.
‘Right, let’s go then,’ Jeff said.
No messing around, as usual. That was her husband.
***
‘Do you know much about Manaus?’ Jeff kept his head forward, his hands firmly on the steering wheel.
‘No.’ Steven replied. Why would he? Steven was loathed to admit the place intrigued him. One moment the buildings were grand, almost regal, the next they looked like they would blow down if someone sneezed. It was weird.
Jeff started to talk; he obviously did not need a show of enthusiasm, ‘The city was extremely affluent at the beginning of the twentieth century. The rubber industry made it a lot of money, as you can see by the grand cathedrals and impressive buildings. However, when the monopoly was broken by seeds being taken out of the city to other countries, the decline began. Some areas of the city are now ghost towns, with dilapidated and unwanted buildings left to crumble. It leaves us wit
h an excellent place to hide. No-one there would ever be taken seriously if they started rambling about a supposed vampire attack.’
The car jumped suddenly as Jeff inadvertently drove over a huge pot hole. They all made disgruntled noises.
‘Sorry,’ Jeff said. ‘It’s like driving through Swiss cheese.’
Finally, he parked the car in front of a large house. The weeds and climbers covered most of the exterior of the house.
‘This is it,’ Judith announced. ‘Doesn’t it look great?’
Emily wedged her arm under his shoulder to help him get out of the car. He considered trying to get out alone and telling her to leave him alone, then he realised it was fruitless. He had no choice. She passed him his makeshift crutches and he got a grip. Slowly, he made his way towards the house. Jeff and Judith unloaded the car of their meagre items. From what Steven could see it was a bare shell. It would take some time to clear it up and make it habitable.
‘We suggest that we clear up the back room, we don’t want to alert any passers-by to our presence,’ Jeff said. ‘Steven, don’t strain yourself, you should get back into the car. This is a perfect time of day to remain inconspicuous.’
Steven grunted. He had made all the effort to get to the door for nothing. He turned round and started to make his way back. He tried to simulate a snail. It was all he could do to delay the inevitable.
Jeff drove for about fifteen minutes until he came across a populated area housing a bar, off license and several small shops that were still open. A few people could be seen casually drinking with friends outside. The park opposite looked like a natural breeding ground for vagabonds.
Jeff parked the car and sighed, ‘This is it.’
‘What now?’ Steven asked.
‘We hunt,’ Emily replied.
The glint in Emily’s eyes and slight curl of her lips gave her away. There was no ignoring the we – she was also a player. He had no idea what she was capable of or what he was capable of. He clenched his teeth and tried to stay focused. There was a lot at stake. He would not kill. Even if it was to spite her, he would find a way to stop.
The Evolution Trilogy: Hybrid, Complications & Return Page 33
