by Alex Dire
“How can you fight that? It’s like fighting time?” offered Tyreese.
Nice metaphor, thought Norman, ever the teacher. Tyreese had such a sharp mind. He seldom spoke but when he did, his words were packed with truth or irony. “True,” replied Norman. “In this battle, the only way to win, is to hide. I used to use this old warehouse to practice, but as you can see, it’s out of the question. Let’s look for another shall we?”
“Can we fight time instead?” said Darius. “I have this thing against bursting into flame and burning to cinders.” Every class had a clown.
They scanned around the dilapidated buildings of the old warehouse district. So many broken structures to choose from. One in particular caught Norman’s eye. He walked across the street and approached the corrugated aluminum structure. The single window in the side had been smashed. This was where Skeete had made her escape as the wolves fled the setting moon. He could detect a gasoline smell. Norman poked his head into the window. This should do nicely.
“Hurry up folks, the sun will be up in minutes. You definitely don’t want to get caught out here when that happens,” said Norman.
They walked around the side of the building to its single door. It was pained yellow amidst the old peeling grey paint that covered the rest of the building. Norman twisted the handle which broke off in his hand. A swift shove with his shoulder did the job instead. He entered the building and was punched in the face with a petroleum smell.
As his students entered, they cringed and gasped at the smell, too.
“Ug. That’s gross,” said Darius. “What is this, Love Canal?” He bent over and grasped his stomach, coughing out the vile vapors only to inhale more with the next breath.
All the students showed signs of sickness. Norman had to fight against his protective instincts. The Nymphs experienced a vestigial human reaction. He reminded himself that they’d get over it soon enough. They’d get over all of it.
Felicia coughed up mucus and saliva. “We need to get out of this. I can’t be in here. This smell is going to kill me.” She bent over and gagged. Declan coughed and put an arm around her, patting her back.
“This,” said Norman, “is going to be the easiest part of your day.”
As he said this, the first ray of light found its way through a wedge-shaped crack in the East side of the building. The light fell to the floor in a beam making a triangular bright spot the size of a quarter on the ground.
The group stopped coughing and stared at the spot. Seconds later, another spot appeared near the first, then another. More spots dotted the floor as the sun climbed over the horizon. The students backed away. Keon looked up at the bright pock marks on the opposite wall of the building. A large open gash had been torn in the wall above the glowing holes. “Move!” he shouted just as the rising sunlight filled the gash. He dove to the ground and rolled through the beams of light that fell there.
The swath of light that shot into the warehouse through the gash caught the rest by surprise. Norman felt his face explode in flames. He instantly fell to the floor and rolled for cover.
The rest of the class scattered. Felicia and Declan pressed themselves against a dark portion of the wall. Her arm had turned black with char.
Tyreese, still ran about bouncing between beams of light like a pinball reflecting off invisible bumpers. Darius pulled his jacket over his head and was running for the opposite wall. His vision blocked, he crashed into it head first and bounced off, falling on his back.
Cindy crawled to the margin of the structure, sinking beneath the rays.
Keon, the first to react, had followed Norman and had reached a shady spot with him. He had a few singe marks across his neck and arms, but had fared better than the others. Norman looked at him and nodded. His attention to detail had proven impressive.
“Everyone Okay?” shouted Norman.
“Yeah,” replied Declan.
The others remained silent. However, he sensed their anger and fear. Darius stood and rubbed his head in a protected nook across the vast space of the warehouse opposite Norman. He shouted back at his teacher, “Never Better.”
“Good,” replied Norman. “Your training begins now. Here’s how it works. I will move to a safe portion of the warehouse. You need to follow me without getting burned to death. Got it?”
Keon stood next to him nodding his head.
“Yeah,” replied Declan.
“Sounds like fun,” replied Darius.
Keon laughed at the remark.
Tyreese was still patting out fires in his clothing.
“It may not be fun, Darius. But it will save your life.” Norman darted off in a blur, leaping and ducking through unlit portions of space and rolling over dark areas of the floor. He ended up in a dim corner of the building that was shielded by what used to be a partial wall. He stood and dusted himself off. “Who’s first?”
Keon looked around the space appearing to plot his course in his mind. He crouched, hesitated a moment, and then ran. He leapt and skipped through the center of the warehouse. His passage was punctuated by sizzling sounds from exposed skin and grunts from his clenched teeth. By the time he was half-way across, he'd abandoned his attempts at acrobatics and opted for speed as he sprinted the rest of the way to Norman. Each beam of light that traced across his body left red and black streaks. His hair caught fire as he dashed past the partial wall to safety.
“Man, that sucked!” he shouted as he patted his flaming head.
Norman helped tamp out his hair.
Keon inspected the rest of his body for any more fire. “I’m sorry Mr. Bernard. That was a lot harder than it looked.”
“Don’t be sorry, Keon,” replied Norman. “You did much better than I expected.”
“Seriously?” said Keon.
“Watch,” said Norman. “Who’s next?”
Declan shifted from his hiding spot.
Norman tensed his face. He almost couldn’t bear to watch as Declan moved out into the lit zone of the warehouse. His first step landed on a spot of light. He yanked his foot away as if he’d stepped onto hot sand at the beach. He glanced around the room, appearing to reassess his strategy. He looked over at a patch of floor with no light on it. He stared at it for a moment. Norman could see him calculating his chances in his head. However, math was never Declan’s strong suit.
Finally, Declan’s pained thinking face turned to resolve and he crouched down. He leapt up into the air in the direction of the dark patch. However, he was not used to his new strengths. He leapt too high and too far. On his way up, several light beams made black tracings of pain across his face and arms. At the peak of his arc, he passed through the wide swath of light spewing in through the gash. The bright heat bathed his body, turning it to flames. He landed on a spot of ground equally dotted with bright and dark patches. Pieces of his body flamed up as beams of light struck his already burning skin. He pushed up to get to his feet, but stumbled.
Norman watched to see if he’d get his footing, waiting to intervene until he absolutely had to. However, not all of his class displayed his patience and experience.
Felicia darted out from her hiding place to his aid. She made no efforts to avoid the laser-like beams that skewered the air. The rays quickly traced char marks across her body. She smoldered more and more. She ran fast, however light was always faster. Felicia reached Declan and attempted to pull him up. She displayed more strength than Norman had imagined she’d be able to in her charred state. But her efforts were cut short when the light worked its way deeper into her vampire skin. Her arms and head caught fire. She shrieked as she continued to pull at Declan.
Norman moved quickly to end the drill. In a blur he danced and sprinted his way to his burning students. “Catch” he yelled as he tossed Declan over to Keon, followed immediately by Felicia.
Declan’s burning form flew across the warehouse. Keon attempted to catch him, but the momentum pushed him off his feet and they tumbled to the floor. Norman had blurred
his way back to the spot in time to catch Felicia in his arms.
She and Declan quickly stopped burning now that the fuel of their body tissue had been removed from the light. Norman’s minimal burn wounds healed almost instantly. They all stood up brushing off singed clothing and skin. Their oozy wounds quickly regenerated.
Norman looked at Keon. “See?”
Keon stood, wiping Declan's burnt skin from his clothes, his face bunched in a cringe. “Mos Def.”
Norman shouted back across the warehouse. “Why don’t we start with something easier?”
“Sounds good to me,” yelled Tyreese.
“Easy is good,” shouted Darius having just witnessed his friends erupt into flames.
Norman prepared for another dash across the floor.
Then an icy voice pierced Norman’s skull as it stabbed out from a dark corner of the warehouse. “Oh, Norman, you’re way too easy on these kids. It’s no wonder this new generation is so weak.”
Norman knew that voice. He’d known it his entire vampire life. He wondered if he’d ever hear it again. He hoped he never would. His heart sank as he spotted a form silhouetted by the one window in the structure. He could make out long hair and a slender female shape he recognized instantly.
“It’s her,” growled Keon.
“Ms. Daniels, please,” she corrected. “Norman, don’t you teach your Nymphs manners? Or is that not part of the curriculum any longer? I remember a time when it was a priority.” Skeete Daniels walked out of the darkness and stood in the direct rays of light penetrating the building. Her white hair seemed overexposed in the direct sun. It contrasted her stark, nearly black eyes and the dark leather tights . Emblazoned on her shoulder was the insignia of the Corps. V.
Norman's legs nearly went limp. He'd known she was out there somewhere, but seeing her… He instinctively held his arms out, palms back, as if to cover his Nymphs. “What do you want, Skeete” said Norman.
“I’m just here to clear the way, Norman,” she replied. Her lips curled to a wicked smile.
That smile had come to fill Norman with dread. He was tired of it. “For who?” he said. “We destroyed your posse and, sorry to break it to you, but you’ve been replaced.”
She answered Norman with silence. Norman wondered if he’d given up too much information with his snide remark. It had felt so good, though.
The students looked back at Norman quizzically. He hadn’t meant to let them in on the new threat that he hoped they’d never have to face.
Too late to take it back. “You know you’re just a…beta model, right?”
Still no reaction from Skeete.
“You’ve been discontinued,” Norman went on. “I’m surprised that you haven’t been boxed up and put out to pasture in a warehouse like this somewhere.”
Skeete looked coolly back at Norman. Clearly his attempts to rile her had not had the intended effect.
“We know your human skin protects you from the sun,” said Norman.
Skeete raised her arms and stroked her own skin in the blazing sunlight. “It is beautiful isn’t it.”
“Beauty is only skin deep,” spat Norman as he sprang to the air.
Skeete ducked and rolled, moving out of Norman’s trajectory. He landed and spun around to face her, snapping his mouth open. With a flick, his fangs shot down, ready to pierce her mutant human skin.
She crouched and readied herself, shifting slightly to her left, placing herself in as much sunlight as possible. If Norman attacked, it would cost him.
Then she relaxed and stood back upright. She inspected her nails as if they’d just been manicured. “Surely, you’re misinformed, Norman. I may be, oh, let’s say ‘vintage.’ I know there are those who can do things I can only dream of.”
“They’ll destroy you as soon as they’re released,” said Norman.
“Perhaps,” replied Skeete. “But only if I order them to.” Skeete directed her gaze directly into Norman’s eyes. “Norman.” Skeete stood back up strait, her face shifting from serious to her more typical sarcastic politeness. “Oh, I apologize. I, of all people should respect protocol.” She cleared her throat and looked around at Norman’s students. “Mr. Bernard, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. Let’s call him a guest speaker to your classroom.” She looked back at the window where she’d stood moments before. “Cornelius, please come in and meet and old friend of mine.”
A silent second passed and then a shape erupted through the window, landing next to Skeete in a patch of direct sunlight. He was huge and muscular and wore the uniform of a Corps. V soldier. Norman had seen this uniform more recently than he cared to remember. He’d seen first-hand what a trained military vampire could do. He’d never seen one, however, that could withstand more than a few seconds of sunlight. This colossus stood with a swath of light slicing across his face and chest without even flinching.
Skeete stroked her fingers across the cheek of the soldier. “This is the new model you spoke of, Norman. You’re right. He’s magnificent. I made sure of it.”
“We took care of your modified henchmen before,” said Norman. “What makes you think we won’t do the same to him…and you?” His words projected bravado, but he knew they were empty.
“This,” said Skeete. With these words, she flicked a small metal knife from her belt. She extended the forefinger of one hand and held it in the sunlight. She slowly brought the point of the blade to the tip of her finger, resting it there for a brief moment. Then she flicked the knife across her finger. Sparks and fire flew out of the wound as her blood oozed from the cut and burst into flames. “Ouch,” she said melodramatically, closing her wound into a fist. “Skin deep, indeed,” she chided. Then she turned to the massive soldier standing stoically next to her. “Cornelius. Show them.”
The soldier removed his shirt, letting it drop to the ground. He drew a wooden knife from his belt and lay it across his chest. Without flinching, he slid the knife along his left pectoral muscle and down across his abdomen. The gash oozed blood profusely.
Norman saw the blood flow out of his torso and into the light. No fire. Not even any smoke. He then watched the wound heal up in a few seconds. A wound made by wood never healed that quickly. It appeared his worst fears were true. This new iteration of Corps. V eugenics had advanced exponentially. Norman could not imagine how to defeat an army of them. He also wondered how he and his students would make it out of this warehouse alive. They found themselves facing the most powerful vampire anyone had ever seen, and they were hemmed in on all sides by the sun.
5
Sacrifice
Then it got worse. At the edge of his hearing, he heard Keon’s breathing increase and his heart rate jump. He hoped Keon wouldn’t do anything rash. He had told his students that the sunlight was the worst enemy they’d ever face. Now he wondered if that was actually true.
Keon exploded from the shadows, dodging the deadly rays as best he could, making his way directly for Skeete. Apparently, his anger for her had not receded over time. Cornelius would rip him to pieces in an instant. Norman had to move fast.
He shifted his weight to dive into the pair of Corps. V before Keon could complete his suicide run. Norman leapt with brutal speed, but Cornelius batted him away. The distraction had bought Keon his moment though. As Norman reflected off of Cornelius’s forearm, Keon careened into Skeet. They tumbled to the ground as Norman smashed into the side of the warehouse.
Norman felt searing pain as streaks of light etched char into the flesh on his back. He sprang up and away to a shaded spot on the floor. He looked up to see Cornelius ready to defend against any advance his students might make. Skeete rose up from the ground with her arm wrapped around Keon’s neck. Her swollen left eye showed that Keon had at least landed some blows in the instants before she subdued him.
Keon kicked helplessly and pulled at Skeete’s arm, attempting to break her grip.
The rest of the Nymphs looked to Norman for direction in this no-win scenario. Dear g
od, he hated leading. They crouched and prepared to pounce at his command. He wouldn’t give it. The second they were within striking distance of Cornelius, he’d stake them with his wooden knife. A soldier was a formidable enemy to an experienced vampire. He was certain and instant death to a Nymph, an infant in the vampire world. Norman wished he’d trained them quicker. Too late for that now.
Norman heard a tapping sound and saw Tyreese’s leg gyrate like a quarterback moments before the snap. He was going to attack. His students were new vampires, their human adolescent impulses hadn’t worn off, yet. So much of their human make-up would take time to fade away. Tyreese would have no such time granted to him. He sprinted at Skeete to aid his struggling friend.
Norman launched again. This time, however, his target was one of his own. He impacted Tyreese as gently as possible, deflecting his trajectory off to the side of the expansive floor space. They both tumbled and grunted as they jockeyed for a position free of sunlight.
When Norman stood again, he saw Keon’s motions slowing, his oxygen supply depleted. Tyreese stood, preparing for a second charge. Norman put his arm out, holding him back.
Finally, Keon stopped moving, and Skeete let his limp body slump to the ground. Norman had noticed Keon’s talent for vampirism. However, it was nothing without intensive training and experience. He hoped Keon stayed down for now or his overconfidence might get him killed.
“What would you like to do, Norman?” said Skeet. “You can’t destroy us, even with your army of…Nymphs. This one is so cute.” She looked down to Keon’s unconscious body. “Did you see how he charged to your defense?”
Keon was so loyal...to Norman, to Richie.
As she peered down at him, her smug expression transformed to one of curiosity. “Wait,” she added. “I know this one.”
Leave him alone. “I don't need anyone else to kill you. I’ll do it myself,” Norman lied.
