The Vampire Evolution Trilogy (Book 3): Blood of Gold

by Duncan McGeary

“Perhaps we cannot,” Combs agreed. “But I have discovered that Terrill is not the only new kind of vampire. Just as the Wilderings appeared suddenly, I have learned that there has arisen another breed of vampire. Evolution has worked in the opposite direction as well. These vampires, whom I call Shadow Vampires, are equal in strength and power to the Golden Vampires, but are more savage yet. They are creatures of the darkness who will protect all of us, and who will look after our interests. They too can walk in daylight. We do not have to change our ways.”

  Even Fitzsimmons seemed surprised. “I have not heard of these Shadow Vampires. How do you know they exist?”

  “Because I am one of them,” Combs said.

  He had been standing, his head barely reaching the top of the chair behind him. Now, it was as if he grew; but it wasn’t his body that grew, but his shadow. His body faded into the blackness. Even in the dark, the other vampires could see his shadow lengthening and growing, and the councilors on either side of him scrambled out of the way. Combs’s voice began to change, as if it was coming from deep inside a well, cold and distant, yet loud and clear.

  “Vampires will have to choose. There will be no middle ground. You must choose the darkness, the everlasting eclipse, the void that dispels the light. If you do not, you will become useless, creatures at the mercy of the humans; or worse, so-called Golden Vampires. All vampires will have to take a side and take the test, and those who fail or chose wrongly will be destroyed.

  “But those who join the Shadow will own this world, and between us, we will bring down the eternal darkness. Those who oppose us will die, and those beneath us will be our food.”

  Hoss looked around the table. He understood at that moment that his dreams hadn’t been fantasies. Somehow, he and he alone had been granted a vision of the future––or only a possible future, he hoped.

  Most of those present were caught up in the words of the Shadow Vampire. A few seemed troubled and were trying to hide their reactions, but Fitzsimmons was nearly levitating in his excitement. “I don’t need to wait,” he cried. “I will join you now!”

  The shadow lifted off the floor and floated over the table. The other councilors scrambled back, afraid to be touched by the void, but Fitzsimmons stood waiting with shining eyes. The black mantle settled over him, and there was the familiar sound of blood being sucked, and Fitzsimmons cried out. The muscles in his body contracted, and he fell forward onto the table and started shaking. He flopped over on his back, then tensed one last time and grew still.

  No one moved. The darkness seemed to be commanding them to be still.

  Then Fitzsimmons gasped.

  When he arose again, he was part of the same shadow as Combs, and his voice had the same coldness. “The Council of Vampires is now dismissed. You are no longer of any use to us. Soon you will be given a choice: you will join us or be destroyed. You may try to hide, but we will find you eventually.”

  Hoss saw Combs behind Fitzsimmons, as if the president of the Council was his puppet and Combs was speaking through him. “We will be leaving for America,” he said, and the sound echoed as if they were in a vast cavern. “Terrill and his abominations must be destroyed.”

  Fitzsimmons turned to Hoss. “You are going with us, Hoss. You will be our guide. Soon you will be allowed to join us, or you will be discarded, like the rest of this soon-to-be-extinct species.”

  Chapter 20

  When Terrill first noticed the young-looking vampire, he was seated at the back of the audience. He was chubby and quiet, with a scraggly goatee and mustache, and long hair tied back in a ponytail. He seemed to be both listening and not really listening, as if he wanted to be present and yet run away.

  Every night, Terrill had one of his “discussions” (he refused to call them sermons). He didn’t think much about the ponytailed vampire at first, but the guy began to move closer and closer to the front as the days passed, his expression becoming more and more intent, until Terrill found himself speaking directly to this one listener, as if he represented everyone Terrill was trying to reach.

  “All vampires will soon have to make a choice,” Terrill said. “To stop preying on humans, or to forever become creatures of the night, hunted and scorned. They must choose the light or remain in the dark.”

  “But why is it wrong for us to kill humans?” the ponytailed vampire asked. Everyone grew quiet, and from that reaction, Terrill realized that others had been watching the vampire’s progression the same way he had. It was the first time he’d spoken since he’d joined them.

  “It is a simple concept: to kill is evil. All vampires kill. Therefore all vampires are evil,” Terrill explained.

  “Are there no exceptions? What about killing in self-defense?”

  “To kill is evil,” Terrill repeated.

  The other vampire shook his head. “We aren’t human. So why is it evil to kill them? Why is it any more evil than it is for humans to hunt and kill deer, for instance?”

  “As The Testament of Michael says, we were born of humans, and therefore we are part of them.” Terrill almost hated himself for quoting the Testament, but it often said things better than he could, and it seemed to add authority to his words. “We must learn to live amongst humans or we will be destroyed.”

  “Why?” It was a blunt question, and one that none of the others had asked; at least, not so directly.

  “Humans become ever more numerous, their weaponry ever more effective,” Terrill explained. “Their information and communication systems are nearly instantaneous. We have fewer and fewer places to hide.”

  “But hasn’t it always been so? Surely we can adapt, as we have always adapted. You yourself formulated the Rules of Vampire, which have helped keep us hidden.”

  “We are hidden no more.”

  “Oh?” The ponytailed vampire sounded skeptical. “I’m not so sure. I believe most humans still think we are a myth. My own parents––I tried to show them how I had changed. All they could think to do was take me to the doctor to see if I had a blood disease! I bet if we lie low, they’ll forget all about us again.”

  “The Wilderings have eliminated that option,” Terrill said. “There are constant outbreaks, all over the country.”

  “So we eliminate the Wilderings. We impose the Rules of Vampire so that no more are created. Each vampire becomes responsible for those they Turn, and suffers the same fate.”

  “Come here,” Terrill commanded.

  The ponytailed vampire approached with his head down, as if embarrassed to be the center of attention. The crowd parted silently for him. There were usually about fifty or so followers at any one time, nowadays. About one in five would ask to partake of the golden blood. The others would drift away, still in doubt or outright rejecting Terrill’s message. Many came to him and pleaded that they were too weak, that they could not stop hunting humans. He hadn’t insisted on it… yet.

  About one in five of those who asked to take the blood of gold passed the preliminary tests and were actually accepted. So far, all had survived. There were now about thirty Golden Vampires in existence. At this rate, Terrill thought, it will only take a few thousand years to convert them all.

  “You’re not in trouble,” Terrill reassured the ponytailed vampire. “Sit in front of me. You’re the first vampire to really challenge what I’ve been saying. For that, I thank you. What’s your name?”

  “Matt Conroy.”

  “Continue your questions, Matt.”

  “I’m sorry, Terrill, but I don’t understand why we have to change. You’re asking too much. We are vampire; it is our nature to kill, to drink the blood and eat the flesh of humans.”

  “We are also thinking, reasoning beings. We choose our own fate, control our own actions.”

  “Do we?”

  Again with the blunt questions, so much more effective than the roundabout philosophy that most of his followers spouted. This vampire got over his shyness quickly, Terrill thought. “We have free will, the ability to choose,�
� he said. “Our actions are our own.”

  “Are they?” Matt asked. “If so, why were we given this nature to begin with? Why don’t vampires get our sustenance from tomatoes, if we weren’t meant to kill? Why is it evil?”

  “Because it’s wrong!” Terrill shouted, unable to control his exasperation.

  “It’s evil because it’s wrong? It’s wrong because it’s evil?” Matt rolled his eyes. “But why? Who says?”

  One of the other disciples spoke up. “The Testament of Michael says that God has forgiven us. He had given us the choice to turn away from evil.”

  “Ah, yes… God. But why should we believe God exists?” Matt asked.

  “You’re not asking for much, are you?” Terrill said. This question touched on his own doubts. Most of the time, he, too, had a hard time believing that there was a God in heaven. If He existed, why had He created them this way? And yet, Terrill could not deny how much he had changed. When he had turned away from killing, everything around him had changed as well.

  In the end, Terrill had decided it didn’t matter what he believed. He didn’t need to know whether it came from God or from some other source. With or without God, the blood of gold did exist, and vampires had been given the choice to turn away from killing.

  “Have you touched a cross, Matt?” he asked. “Have you tried to enter a church? Have you been sprinkled with holy water? If God doesn’t exist, then why would these things hurt us?”

  “But wouldn’t that mean that we belong to the Devil?” Matt asked. “Shouldn’t we be worshipping him instead? Asking for his help?”

  There was an angry murmuring in the crowd. Terrill raised his hand. He began to unbutton his shirt, and the crowd fell silent. He exposed the scars left by the cross that had been fused to his body. “I renounced killing, and by some miracle was made human again. When Michael Turned me back to vampire, he gave me the blood of gold. I don’t know why, Matt. I can’t tell you why I was chosen, except to say this: I believe it is evil to kill another sentient being. To do so is wrong. That’s all.”

  Matt looked frustrated, but he didn’t question Terrill any further that day.

  #

  After that, Matt rarely left Terrill’s side. They discussed the hard things, the things no one else wanted to talk about. Terrill let Matt see his doubts, and in some ways, the student became the teacher. Then, one night, Matt announced that he wanted to take the Sacrament of the Blood of Gold.

  “Are you sure?” Terrill asked. “You still seem so full of questions.”

  “As do you, Terrill. And yet…”

  “You must look into your heart, Matt. You must be certain.”

  “I am. I’m convinced you’re right. The killing must stop.”

  Terrill examined his disciple’s resolute face. He sighed. “Very well, but you must undergo the tests that Jamie and Sylvie have created. If you pass those tests, we will proceed.”

  #

  A week later, Jamie came to him. “Matt passed all the tests,” she said.

  Terrill saw the doubt in her face. “But… ?”

  “He’s so scary-smart that he might have supplied us the answers we were looking for.” She hesitated. “I don’t think he’s ready.”

  “I don’t see how we can refuse him.”

  Terrill still insisted on bestowing the Sacrament of the Blood of Gold on the converts, even though any of the Golden Vampires could have done it. The time was coming when he would send his disciples out into the world to teach his words and to find converts, but until then, he was responsible for every success and every failure.

  There were three converts that day. The first two took the sacrament reverently, with no difficulty. “The blood of gold shall transform you, absolve you, make you one with God. Partake of my blood and thou shalt be redeemed, reborn in God’s grace,” Terrill assured them.

  Matt waited on his knees. He looked up at Terrill, and there was no doubt in his eyes.

  “This is my blood,” Terrill intoned. “Accept it and be one with me.”

  The blood dripped into Matt’s mouth. He sat back on his haunches and swallowed. Everyone was watching, as if all of them understood that a true test was being administered.

  “Oh, no,” Matt muttered.

  Terrill froze. His thought echoed Matt’s words. Oh, no.

  “I thought I was ready,” Matt breathed. He convulsed, falling on his back, and his body began shaking.

  “Damn it!” Terrill cried. He knelt at Matt’s side, holding back tears. Please, God, help this vampire become one of us, Terrill thought. He couldn’t remember ever praying before. This young man truly wants to be part of your grace. Please, God, accept him into your arms.

  Matt arched his back, then slammed into the ground again.

  “Forgive me!” Terrill cried. “I should have known.”

  Matt turned his head toward Terrill. “I’m sorry, Terrill,” he whispered. “I wanted to believe.” He shook violently one more time, then stiffened and was still.

  He was gone.

  #

  Terrill wouldn’t leave the trailer. The crowds grew larger, if anything, in his absence, but he wouldn’t show his face. Others began preaching from The Testament of Michael in his stead, and they preached with greater fervor, drawing in even more supplicants. The list for the Sacrament of the Blood of Gold grew ever longer.

  “You must perform the sacrament,” Sylvie pleaded. “Everyone is waiting.”

  “No,” Terrill answered in a dead voice. “Matt was right. Vampires aren’t ready. I have no right to ask it of them. Who am I to preach anything? Every day, I feel the desire to kill.”

  “You aren’t the one asking,” Jamie said. “You are but a conduit. It isn’t your job to question.”

  “No,” Terrill said. “I won’t do it anymore.” He rolled over in his cot and pulled the blankets over his head.

  “If you won’t do it, I will,” Jamie said.

  “Go ahead,” Terrill answered. “I won’t stop you.”

  From that day forward, the number of Golden Vampires increased by leaps and bounds. Once it was accepted that Jamie could give of the blood, others started to take it upon themselves to perform the sacrament. The failures began to multiply, but everyone understood it was part of the risk. It was starting to be whispered that even the failures were accepted into heaven.

  “This is Terrill’s blood,” the new ministers would say. “Accept it and be one with him.”

  When some of the converts decided to leave, Jamie and Sylvie didn’t try to stop them. It felt as though everything was out of their hands, as if God was taking a hand in things. God had spoken, even if Terrill no longer wanted to listen.

  #

  “Terrill, I have returned.”

  Terrill dimly recognized the voice through his fog. He turned over and lifted the blanket. It was Marc, the damn vampire responsible for The Testament of Michael. It was his fault all this was happening. It was all because of that stupid book.

  “What do you want?”

  “Clarkson is dead,” Marc said.

  Terrill sat up inadvertently. His mind struggled to create meaning out of Marc’s words. “Clarkson? What do you mean?”

  Marc began to tell the story, and by the end, Terrill was completely awake.

  He’d always thought his relationship with Clarkson had been businesslike: she was a colleague, not a friend. He was surprised by how much her death saddened him. He also felt a sudden stab of fear. “What do these Shadow Vampires look like?” he asked.

  “They are the opposite of light, Terrill. They reek of the Pit.”

  “How did you escape?”

  “I hid in the light. They couldn’t see me.” Marc explained how he had stayed still and quiet until the sun was directly overhead. Only then had he moved. The Shadow Vampires had disappeared, along with Clarkson’s body. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that Simone and Rod had escaped.

  Terrill closed his eyes. He remembered the hordes of Wilderings, kil
ling indiscriminately, overwhelming the little town of Crescent City. Now he had a vision of Shadow, of vampires who could walk in the daytime and were as powerful as Golden Vampires, but evil.

  Matt had asked if vampires belonged to the Devil. It had been a good question, one for which Terrill hadn’t had a good answer. Now it appeared that at least some vampires did indeed belong to the legions of the damned. It was suddenly clear to Terrill what he must do. None of this was an accident. The Golden Vampires had been created––had evolved––to fight those of the Darkness.

  All other vampires were going to have to choose sides.

  He walked out of the trailer and stopped, astounded at the sight of the crowds filling the meadows around the camp. Cars lined the narrow dirt road as far as he could see. He heard cries of “Terrill!” and “It’s him!” Sylvie and Jamie rushed up to him, along with some of the other early followers.

  Apparently, by disappearing, Terrill had only enhanced his mystique. Good, he thought. It will add weight to my commands. “Give everyone who asks for it the Sacrament of the Golden Blood,” he ordered.

  Jamie spoke up immediately, opposing him. “That isn’t a good idea.” Robert was standing with his arms around Jamie, and he nodded in agreement.

  But Terrill was convinced he was right. “Everyone will have to make a choice,” he said.

  “Are you sure, Terrill?” Sylvie asked. “Some aren’t ready. They’ll die the everlasting death.”

  He nodded. “It can’t be helped.”

  She reached out her hand and rested it on his arm. “Is this really what you want?”

  “We’re going to Crescent City,” Terrill said. “If God wants us to confront evil, then that’s what we’re going to do. It’s time for all vampires to choose, once and for all. They must become part of the Golden Light or join the Dark of Shadow.”

  Behind him, he saw Marc scribbling, and Terrill knew that The Testament of Michael was about to get another codicil. For the first time, Terrill felt like the prophet everyone else thought he was.