Vampire Nation 1: Titan's Story

by Joe Fowler

  I called her gift up in my mind. I envisioned both Justin and Hercules in a small garden surrounded by plants and flowers. I was rewarded by their gasps. Even Trog and Penny gasped. They could see the image through Justin and Hercules’s thoughts.

  “How did you do that? Where did all these flowers come from?” Justin asked.

  I made the illusion disperse. Hercules looked around at the training room in wonder.

  “That was so real!”

  “What did he make you see?” Beth asked.

  “We were in a garden. There were all kinds of flowers and plants everywhere. It was beautiful.” Justin’s eyes were still huge and he was smiling.

  “You can do the same thing, Beth. Did you imagine the garden like Justin described?” I asked her.

  “Yes.”

  “Then call the image of the garden you created in your mind and picture both of them in that garden. Once you have that picture of them set in your mind, imagine pushing that image out of your mind toward them.” I told her. Beth concentrated for a second and tried.

  “I see it, sort of.” Justin said. “It isn’t solid like yours was. It’s kind of transparent. I can see the flowers but I can also see the wall of the training room behind them.”

  “Okay, that’s a good start.” I turned back to Beth. “Now, Beth, stop pushing that image. What I want you to do now is imagine one of the pets you’ve had in the past like a dog or a cat. Now, I need you to make everyone see that pet sitting on this mat between us and Justin. Don’t push the image out of your head this time. Just have that image take form on the mat and make us all see it once it is there.”

  Beth closed her eyes for a second and then opened them. I followed her gaze and could see a dog standing on the mat. His tail was wagging and he looked real.

  “Great job, Beth! You did really well.” I was happy for her. I put my arm around her shoulder and hugged her to my side. She looked up at me with an unbelieving smile. I saw in her thoughts that she usually couldn’t do much of anything right. At least that was the way she saw herself. I knew we needed to change that.

  I sent Justin and Hercules back to sparring each other. I stayed with Beth having her create image after image. I wanted her to stop having to think about what she was doing. It took a period of time that my mind was having trouble defining but she became fairly proficient with her illusions. Once I was confident she could handle that part, I talked her through what to expect in the arena.

  I began to explain how she would be called and continued through the kneeling to when the fight would actually start. I then made her think about what would cause her opponent to become helpless. I gave her the first suggestion of making her opponent not be able to see anything. If she created the illusion of perfect blackness, he wouldn’t be able to attack her.

  “He wouldn’t be able to see me at all?” Beth sounded doubtful.

  “Let’s demonstrate.” I moved across the mat and turned to face her. “There will be an announcer there. He will give the command for the fight to start. You need to be prepared. Know the illusion you are about to cast so that when the announcer disappears, you can immediately cast it. Now, try the pitch black illusion. Make it to where only I can see it.”

  It was disorienting even though I was expecting it. It was as if I had gone completely blind. I could still hear everyone in the background. That made me think of improvements.

  “Now, keep this illusion as it is but make me hear something like a train whistle or something really loud. Make it be the only thing I can hear.” I barely had the words out of my mouth when my ears were splitting from the air horn. An unending air horn. “Excellent! Now make it stop! Please!”

  The sudden lack of noise was blissful. I could hear the others laughing but I didn’t care. I knew I may have been shouting but they weren’t hearing that damn air horn.

  “Beth, if you do that to your opponent, you will win your match.” I took a deep breath and walked to her. “If you can rip his head off. I know that sounds like such a horrible thing but it is different for us as vampires.”

  “I’ve never hurt anyone. I’m not sure I can make myself do that.” She had tears forming in her eyes.

  “Look, this is a hell of a lot to take in. Each one of us here had to face the same thing you are facing right now. We can show you how to win but we can’t kill the other vampire for you. If we could, I would fight for everyone in this group and we would all win our freedom. If you can’t make yourself finish off your opponent, you will die. We don’t want that.”

  Her thoughts were sad. She knew I was telling her the truth about wanting her to win. She could even see that she would be able to. The thought of hurting someone was so painful to her that she shied away from even thinking it.

  “I understand.” I told her softly. She looked up at me and started to cry again. I hugged her to my chest and held her for a decade.

  “We still have to tell her how to think when we are paraded in front of the old ones. They may have a mind reader.” Ghost reminded me. He had walked over when he realized she couldn’t kill. He didn’t seem to need the mind reading ability. “We don’t have much time.”

  “What do you mean by how to think?” Beth asked.

  “Some of what you have seen me do isn’t normal. If the old ones find out I can do these things, they will kill me and everyone who knows about any of it. Some vampires like Trog and Penny can read minds. That was their gift when they were turned. There was an old one at the last fights that could read minds too. If he reads your mind and sees my abilities, he will kill all of us.”

  “That is so horrible! What ability can you have that means death?” She asked.

  “I drank from you and then I could do what you can. I can acquire any gift from any vampire if I drink their blood. If I ever drink from an old one, I will be as strong and as fast as they are. Plus, I would have all these gifts. I would be too strong for them to control. This happened once and the vampire who had my gift killed a lot of old ones before they finally stopped him. They don’t want to take the chance of that ever happening again so they watch for it very closely. Which brings us back to you. Tonight, we will be paraded in front of the old ones here. When that happens, I want you to keep your mind focused on anything but what you’ve seen me do or what I’ve said to you.”

  “You know how hard that will be for me? I will be petrified and will be thinking of exactly what I shouldn’t. It may have been better if you’d never told me.” Beth’s thoughts went sick with worry and I knew she was right.

  I had a thought and was processing it when Ghost laughed. I saw that he had already followed through with my thought. His mind developed the idea to perfection.

  “It’s really going to be simple, Beth. You can create illusions. This time you will be making yourself see what you create.” Trog was laughing. He was just now catching up. Even with the mind reading, keeping up with Ghost’s mind is tough. Ghost ignored the interruption. “Think of some peaceful fun time from your human life and stay in that illusion until we are in the holding pen.”

  “How will she know to follow us and when to pull out of the illusion? Wouldn’t she be blinding herself?” Speedy asked.

  Speedy and Penny had walked up and heard Ghost’s plan. I looked and saw that all the other groups were gathering now. Cerrus would be here any minute now.

  “Easy, imagine a rope tied between you and Titan. Everywhere he goes, you will have to follow. If you imagined a museum or something it would fit perfectly. When Titan grabs your hand and squeezes, you will know to pull out of the illusion.” Ghost explained. I was becoming happier by the minute that he was on my side.

  “I went to a museum once. I can do that.” Beth smiled. Her thoughts were calming down as she formed the illusion in her mind.

  “You might want to play some music during your illusion as well. That way you won’t hear something that would make you nervous.” I added.

  I saw one of the groups leaving. A few minute
s later, a second group left. Then Cerrus walked in.

  “Alright everyone, let’s go.” Cerrus said. He was in a calm mood. He was a little put off by the prospect of another night of boring fights.

  I nodded to Beth for her to start her illusion. The others followed Cerrus and I followed them, with Beth following along behind me.

  It was a long walk through the beige hallways. When we finally arrived, the others took their places in line. Beth and I already were in the appropriate spots. When they opened the door for us, Cerrus led our group to the platform. This room was almost identical to the one at Arria’s facility.

  The nine royally dressed old ones were paying more attention tonight. The mind reader from before wasn’t here, but I mostly knew that already since Cindy wasn’t in the training room earlier.

  I let my mind out some to see if I sensed any new mind reader. I was carefully hiding it though. I kept my mind in motion like Trog had told me to do. I was hearing some of the thoughts from the old ones now that I was fairly sure none of them would know.

  Arria’s thoughts were blocked off. She knew Trog and Penny were mind readers.

  They announced each of our names with our levels. Justin was announced as Apollo. He was overly amused.

  I could still hear most of the thoughts the other old ones were having. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I didn’t pick up on a sour note, hidden secret, or nefarious plan.

  At a signal he was waiting for, Cerrus led us out of the room and down the halls to the holding pen. I heard the thoughts of relief coming from the others in our group. They knew how dangerous being displayed in front of the old ones had become.

  Once we were in the holding pen, I grabbed Beth’s hand to snap her out of her illusion. She squeezed back and shook her head to clear it.

  “You did well. It went as smoothly as we could have hoped for.” I told her.

  She didn’t speak, she just smiled.

  I pointed to the bench area across from the arena door where Trog had positioned me that first night. We sat quietly and waited.

  Chapter 8

  Beth didn’t seem to want to talk so I remained quiet as well. I preoccupied myself with the thoughts of the rest of our group.

  Speedy was nervous and knew he had a really long wait before it would be time for his fight. His impatience was going to be tougher than his fight. With his speed, he should win easily enough. While he wasn’t so worried about the fight, he was on edge over what freedom was going to be like. He didn’t know what his options would be any more than the rest of us did.

  Trog was relaxing. He was thankful that I would be the one answering the newbie’s questions tonight. That responsibility usually fell on him. He and Penny were talking and trying to pass the time as calmly as possible.

  Penny was somewhat confident. She wasn’t a worrier so she spent this time ‘talking’ to Trog and trying to have a good time.

  Hercules was depressed. I wanted to say something to help but knew that any words from the rest of us wouldn’t do him any good. He understood his limitations and would face this head on. He had liked Vlad but was hoping that would be his matchup since it would be an equal fight. Knowing that this was probably his last night, his thoughts were turning to the family he left behind. It was sad to watch.

  Justin, now known as Apollo, sat peacefully. He was the most likely one to lose and he accepted his fate. He hoped for a chance but knew he was without a usable gift. He had spent the night last night mentally saying goodbye to his memories since he couldn’t say goodbye to the people themselves. He was handling things remarkably well.

  Beth was using her illusions to preoccupy her mind. She actually had a smile on her face as she watched her little sister’s high school graduation over again. My thoughts for Beth were more tumultuous than her own. I was torn between hoping she would find it in her to win her fight and hoping her life would end without her becoming the savage the rest of us were. If she died tonight, then she could only be remembered as a really sweet, wonderful person. She would not have lowered herself to become a killer.

  I planned to end my fight quickly. I would drink and take the vampire’s head without making him suffer any more than he needed to. I had the thought of knocking my opponent out like I had with Milton. That way, he wouldn’t see his end coming. There wasn’t any fear of losing now.

  We waited.

  The crowd started out more as a light buzz. Over the time it was taking for all the groups to enter their holding area, the buzz grew to a roar. It sounded like there would be many more people in attendance than the few hundred or so who watched the last fights. With nine groups, there would be many more fights tonight.

  Finally, the announcer made his appearance and started working the crowd. This one was a different announcer. He was tall and well built. His clothes were the worst choices I could imagine. I never cared much for fashion but the announcer looked like he lost a bet and was forced to wear the loudest, ugliest clothes the bet winner could find.

  “…and now, ladies and gentlemen, it is time!” He allowed the crowd to roar and applaud before he continued. “Our first match will be between first timers Troy and Marcus! Let’s give them a warm welcome to the arena!” The crowd roared again.

  Both of these fighters were average height. One was a little heavyset. It was difficult to know which one was Troy and which one was Marcus. They were too far away to hear their thoughts. They knelt as the betting got started.

  I nudged Beth to get her attention.

  “The fights are about to begin. You may want to watch to see what you can expect. If you choose to stay in your illusions and not watch, then I will understand and let you know when it is your turn.” I told her.

  “I will try to watch.” She said, sadly.

  “It is time! Troy, Marcus, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!” The announcer disappeared.

  The two fighters slowly circled each other. One would make a quick attack but the other would block. Neither had a clear advantage. Then the heavyset one smiled and disappeared. The other looked around in alarm before being struck by an unseen fist. The one who was invisible then spent the next five hours or so, my problem with time estimates was getting much worse, beating the hell out of the other. You couldn’t see him but you just knew he had a malicious smile on his face as he tortured his opponent. Finally, to the crowd’s delight, he became visible and drank some blood before he ripped his opponent’s head off.

  I looked at Beth and saw the anger there. I had sensed her growing disgust while the fight degraded into a beating. Maybe this would be what she needed to make herself fight back. I was still torn. She was so innocent.

  “Our next fight will be between Michelle and Rory, two more first timers! Let’s hear it for our combatants!”

  Michelle was full figured with a pretty face. Rory was a red headed, freckled man with the palest skin I had ever seen. Remember, I am a vampire who had seen nothing but other vampires for the last several days. When I say that Rory’s skin was really pale, I mean he was pale!

  They knelt while the betting took place and rose dutifully to face each other. Once the announcer disappeared, they were at each other’s throats. It was give and take. Both gifts were of strength were on display but the ferocity was the headline. They were even growling at each other. The fight didn’t last too long. Michelle got in a few good shots and ripped Rory’s head off before he could recover.

  Beth’s face was twisted with disgust. She thought them nothing more than rabid animals. That seemed a good description for that fight.

  “Our next fight will be between Beth and Anthony, two more first timers! Let’s hear it for our fighters!”

  Beth stood and I stood with her.

  “Walk to the nearest X and stand there. When he calls for the betting, kneel down on the X. The announcer will tell you when to stand. If you decide to fight, have your illusion ready from the beginning.”

  I gave her a light push and
watched her enter the arena. My heart hurt. I had never met a grown person who was as innocent and sweet as Beth. She was probably walking to her death right now.

  I looked at Anthony and saw his gift. He was poisonous like Scorpion. His stinger would jut out of his right index finger when he wanted to inject his poison.

  I sat back down even though I didn’t want to. The betting period came and went.

  “Beth, Anthony, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!”

  Beth stood there with her head down. Anthony started toward her. He walked right up to her and wondered why she didn’t move. He struck her and braced himself for her counter. She just laid on the ground where she had fallen. There were some boos from the crowd. Anthony finally realized Beth wasn’t fighting back. He stood up straight and smiled wickedly. He walked over and kicked her. When she still made no move to defend herself, he started playing up to the crowd. He returned to her and kicked her again. As he turned around laughing, his smile faded and the laughing stopped. I didn’t know what she was making him see but it was scaring the unlife out of him. Anthony started screaming and running around the arena like he was trying to get away from something. The crowd became whisper quiet as they watched. Anthony fell on his butt and started squirming backwards like something menacing was coming for him. When his back hit the arena wall, he curled up in the fetal position blubbering in fear. The crowd watched in shock as Beth calmly walked to where Anthony was and ripped his head off.

  “I think I speak for all of us when I say Holy Shit! Let’s hear it for Beth!” The announcer’s words brought the crowd out of their daze. They cheered as Beth reentered the holding pen.

  “Way to go, Beth!” Speedy was obviously happy for her.

  “Great job!” Trog stood and patted her on the back.

  The others all gave her their words of congratulations. Beth didn’t seem to hear them. She kept walking with her head down to her seat beside me.

  “I’m sorry, Beth.” I put my arm around her and held her to my side. She laid her head on my shoulder as her tears fell unchecked down her face.