by Brandon Hale
“Explain,” Abbie said flatly. “Starting with how that vampire could have been living here for forty years.”
Charlotte smiled humorlessly. “Surely you didn’t think the governments of this world were unaware of vampires before the war.”
“No,” Abbie said. “I was never under that delusion.”
“In the fifties,” Charlotte said, “the government actually created a department to find and capture a vampire. At some point in the eighties, they finally caught some.”
“The three in this facility,” Abbie said.
Charlotte nodded. “The thing is, nobody was really prepared for them. Nobody knew what parts of the vampire legends were real and what parts were myth.”
“We still don’t, in many respects,” Abbie said. “These new vampires prove it.”
“Yeah,” Charlotte agreed. “But in the eighties, it was much worse. They knew almost nothing. Within a few weeks, the vampires controlled the minds of all the researchers. They were just totally unprepared for it.”
“And I’m assuming it just grew from there?”
“Yes,” Charlotte said. “This place was top secret, so not many people had access. Whenever new people were transferred here, they were taken to see the vampires. If the vampires were able to control them, they joined the team. If not, they were food.”
“Wouldn’t that look suspicious?” Abbie asked.
“Under normal circumstances,” Charlottes said, “yes. But considering the fact that they were studying vampires, it was easy to explain. Maybe one of them escaped but was recaptured. Mostly, the deaths were blamed on researchers not following protocol.”
“Makes sense,” Abbie conceded.
“Yeah,” Charlotte said. “As the decades went by, this facility did tons of actual research, but the results were always modified in ways that helped the vampires. By the time the war started, this facility had fed the higher-ups so much misinformation it devastated our ability to fight them properly.”
“Are there no other facilities like this?” Abbie asked.
“There’s one that I know of,” Charlotte said. “It’s in Switzerland. It actually captured a vampire in the mid-nineties.”
“What happened?” Abbie asked.
“The same thing that happened here. We just didn’t know anything about them then.”
Abbie sighed. “After the war, the vampire’s ability to control human minds became common knowledge. You’d think we’d have inspected these places to make sure it hadn’t happened.”
“It was too late,” Charlotte said. “By then, almost nobody knew about this place and those who did thought the vampires were long gone. I don’t know about the other place, but this one reported the vampires escaped shortly after the war started. After that, this place was transitioned to the searcher facility. We got occasional transfers and regular deliveries, but we weren’t on any maps and we were completely independent.”
“I’m assuming you were one of those transfers,” Abbie said.
“I was,” Charlotte said. “And since the transfer, I’ve seen things, Abbie. I’ve seen ways we could have won this war. And I did nothing.”
“Stop that, child,” Abbie said. “Your mind wasn’t your own. I’m growing tired of the guilt.”
“Sorry,” Charlotte said. “I joined the searchers because I wanted to help, but I’m no soldier. It kills me that I’ve basically worked for the enemy since coming here.”
“That brings up another question,” Abbie said. “Does the Legion know of this place?”
“No,” Charlotte said. “The vampires here have kept it completely secret, even from other vampires. They thought that if the Legion knew about it, the Day Soldiers might somehow find out and have them killed. They said it was so they could continue to help the Legion in the war, but I’m sure they were just protecting their own asses.”
“Well, that’s one blessing,” Abbie said. “It seems to me that you haven’t been helping the enemy. You’ve just been prevented from helping us. There’s a difference.”
“No, Abbie,” Charlotte said. “I’ve been helping them. In some very bad ways.”
“You keep saying that,” Abbie said, “but you still haven’t told me what these awful things are.”
Charlotte stared at nothing for several seconds. Finally, she said, “You know the primary goal of the searchers, right?”
“Yes,” Abbie said. “Finding a good creature.”
Charlotte’s eyes were lined with tears. “They exist, Abbie. We’ve had two in captivity. We killed one and the other escaped. Our reports just said they were dead ends.”
Abbie stared at Charlotte in horrified silence.
“They can do some amazing things,” Charlotte said. “And the vampires appeared to be in pain just from looking at them.”
“What do they look like?” Abbie asked.
“Humans,” Charlotte said. “But you can feel something different when you’re around them.”
“Absolutely incredible,” Abbie said, more to herself than to Charlotte. “Do you know what happened to the one who escaped?”
“No,” Charlotte said. “She escaped while she was being transported here.”
“And you think this would have made the difference in the war?”
“I have no idea,” Charlotte said. “The vampires seemed to know what they were and ordered us to kill them as soon as we got them in the facility. Luckily, that only happened with one. The other one is out there, somewhere. If she’s still alive.”
Abbie sat in her chair, processing this new information. “I wish I could’ve met her.”
“Abbie,” Charlotte said, “there’s something else. It has nothing to do with the GC. It’s worse. Much worse.”
“You have my full attention,” Abbie said.
“How much do you know about our nuclear testing?” Charlotte asked.
“I know there were some tests done in New Mexico,” Abbie said. “According to reports, nuclear weapons have no effect on vampires or werewolves. If we launched a nuclear attack, it would have killed the humans, but the Legion would have been fine. I’m assuming you’re about to contradict that?”
“We were in charge of those tests,” Charlotte said, “and we released the report. That damn report went to every Day Soldier branch in the world.”
“It was a false report,” Abbie said.
Charlotte gave a slow, regretful nod. “Werewolves are vulnerable to nuclear blasts in exactly the same ways as humans.”
“And the vampires?”
“Instant disintegration,” Charlotte said. “And not just the ones at ground zero. Vampires are very, very vulnerable to nuclear weapons. The light from the blast killed them, Abbie. It was like sunlight to them.”
“That is bad,” Abbie said.
“If we had just bombed the Legion cities, the war would have been won a long time ago,” Charlotte said.
“Don’t be silly,” Abbie said. “Every Legion city had hundreds of humans. Some had thousands. The loss of human life would have been too great. Even if your reports had been completely truthful, there’s no way we would have resorted to a nuclear attack.”
“That makes me feel a little better,” Charlotte said.
“And as for the good creatures,” Abbie continued, “you found two after a decade of searching. No matter what this creature could do, I doubt it would have made a difference in the greater scheme of things.”
“Thank you, Abbie,” Charlotte said.
“That said,” Abbie went on, “I want to know more about these good creatures. Tell me everything.”
Chapter 15
Dangerous Skies
The plane soared through the night sky. Greg sat in the pilot seat. Ellie sat beside him. The rest of the team sat in the seats in the small passenger area.
Scott and Lily were arguing.
“Don’t worry,” Grung said to Carl. “They’ve had this same argument at least a thousand times in the last year.”
&nb
sp; “We’re not arguing,” Scott said. “I’m just trying to get her to admit the truth.”
“What truth?” Lily said. “That I saved your ass in New York?”
“Quite the opposite, actually,” Scott said. “I just want you to admit you were willing to sacrifice my life to kill Dennis.”
Grung looked at Carl and said, “In New York, Lily shot Scott in the head with a crossbow.”
“I don’t see the big deal there,” Carl said. “He’s a werewolf.”
“The big deal,” Scott said, “is that she didn’t know I was a werewolf. Not to mention the fact that it hurt like hell.”
Lily looked at Carl. “I knew he was a werewolf.”
“You did not,” Scott said. “You suspected I was a werewolf. That’s different. Based on the evidence you had, there’s absolutely no way you could have known. You risked my life to kill Dennis. Just admit it.”
“I admit nothing,” Lily said. “I absolutely knew you were a werewolf. The only life I was risking in that library was my own.”
“You’re impossible,” Scott said. “I’m not saying you did the wrong thing. Based on your suspicions, it was a calculated risk, and that risk paid off. But if you had been wrong, I would be dead.”
“You’re just mad that I figured out you’re a werewolf.”
“I’m not mad,” Scott said. “I’m glad you did it. I just want you to admit it was a guess.”
“Are you a werewolf?” Lily asked.
“Just because your guess was right,” Scott said, “doesn’t negate the fact that it was a guess.”
“You are a werewolf,” Lily said, “and I knew it. I was absolutely sure. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have shot you in the head. Accept it.”
“Guys,” Greg said from the pilot’s seat, “we, ah, have a problem.”
“Why is it,” Grung said, “that every time you fly us somewhere, you end up saying that?”
“This is only the second time I’ve flown you anywhere,” Greg said.
“And both times, you flew us right into a problem,” Grung shot back.
“Hey, that’s not really fair—”
“Greg,” Scott said, “what’s the problem?”
“Oh, yeah,” Greg said. “There’s a plane headed our way.”
Lily suddenly became very nervous. “Didn’t take them long to come after us.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” Greg said. “It’s a small plane, like ours. It’s going faster than us, but just barely.”
“How long until it catches up to us?” Scott said.
“Ten minutes,” Greg said. “Maybe fifteen.”
“Maybe we should land,” Lily offered. “Let them fly on by.”
Greg checked a few readings, then said, “We could do that, but if we see them, I’m pretty sure that means they can see us. Odds are, they already know we’re here.”
“We shouldn’t have wasted time in that town,” Scott said. “We should have gotten on the plane and left immediately.”
“Well, we didn’t,” Lily said, “and your whining about it isn’t helpful.”
“I say we just slightly change course,” Grung said, “and let them fly by us.”
“That’s probably best,” Carl said.
Lily looked around the plane. Several parachutes hung from the ceiling in the back of the plane. “Okay,” she said. “Greg, get us out of their flight path. Everybody, put on a parachute, just in case this gets ugly.”
“Guys,” Greg said, “it’s about to get ugly. They’re picking up speed.”
Lily immediately fell into command-mode. “Grung, Ellie, and Carl, you’re on werewolf watch.”
All three pulled out pistols and checked their clips to make sure they were fully loaded. With a quick flick, a silver sword whipped into position on Grung’s sword-arm.
“Scott,” Lily continued, “you and I will handle any vamps.”
Scott gave her a confirming nod.
“Greg, keep flying,” Lily said. “No matter what happens back here, you just focus on keeping us alive. If we don’t have things under control within five minutes, get started on an emergency landing. We don’t want to be this high if things don’t go our way.”
“Got it,” Greg said.
Lily looked at the team. They were all ready. “Be prepared to change tactics. If no werewolves come over, have those stakes ready.” She looked at the front. “Greg, if they just attack the plane, let us know immediately. Those guys can survive a crash, but we can’t. If they only go for the plane, we jump.”
“It’s very dark out there,” Greg said. “I have no visuals, but the instruments say they’re very close. Too close to get an accurate reading.”
Ellie, now standing beside her seat, looked at Greg and said, “Did you do something? It sounds like the engine just got louder.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Greg said. “I think it’s them. I think they’re above us.”
Lily, Scott, Grung, and Carl were all standing in the center aisle in the passenger area. They all watched the door near the back of the plane.
“Maybe they’re just passing us by,” Grung said.
“No,” Scott said. “If they thought we were one of them, they’d have tried to communicate by now.”
“Where are we?” Lily asked.
“Somewhere over New Mexico, I think,” Greg said.
Lily was looking at the ceiling, but in her mind’s eye, she was seeing the plane overhead. “Greg, take us down. Scott’s right, they know we’re not one of them. Let’s fight em on the ground—”
One of the tiny windows behind Carl exploded, sending tiny shards of glass through the plane.
“What the hell!” Grung yelled over the wind now blasting through the plane.
“Grab something!” Carl screamed. “Don’t get sucked out!”
“That won’t happen,” Greg yelled from the front. “We’re too low and going too slow.”
“Why’d they blow that window?” Scott said, yelling above the wind. “Nothing can get in through there.”
Fog began to pour into the window and fill the cabin. It moved slowly, completely unaffected by the wind. After a few seconds, Lily saw nothing but the eerie blue-white mist.
“Greg,” she yelled, “can you see enough to fly this thing?”
“Not really,” Greg answered, “but I’m making do. I’m taking us down. Let’s hope there’s somewhere to land.”
“Negative,” Lily said. “This plane’s a deathtrap. Everybody, make your way to the door. We’re jumping ship.” As an afterthought, she said, “Greg, you mentioned we’re flying low. Too low for parachutes?”
“No,” Greg answered. “We should have enough height for a jump.”
“Not that it matters,” Lily said. “We can’t stay here.”
“Sure you can.”
The words weren’t spoken by any member of Lily’s team. In fact, it was a voice she’d never heard before.
As quickly as it had come, the fog began to fade away. Soon, Lily was able to see the silhouettes of the others. A couple seconds later, the fog was gone and she could see everyone on the plane.
Including the vampire who wasn’t there moments earlier.
“Hi,” he said with a grin. “I’m Travis. Which one of you lovely ladies is Lily?”
“I’m Lily,” Scott said.
“Don’t lie,” Greg said from the pilot’s seat. “I’m Lily.”
“Guys,” Grung said, “I appreciate that you’re trying to protect me, but I don’t want to put you in danger.” He turned to Travis. “I’m Lily.”
“I’m Lily!” Carl yelled.
Everyone – including Travis – turned and looked at him.
Travis pointed at Carl with his thumb. “Who’s the loser?”
“He’s new,” Scott said.
“What the hell?” Carl said. “I said the exact same thing you all said.”
“Exactly,” Travis said. “You didn’t add anything to it. You just repeated what the first L
ily said.”
“Fire,” Lily said.
Everyone but Greg – who was still trying to find a place to land - pointed a crossbow at Travis and fired.
Every shot missed, piercing the wall of the plane instead.
“Where’d he go?” Ellie asked.
“Up here,” Travis said. He was on the ceiling of the plane, looking down at the team with that same fearless grin. He dropped to the floor directly in front of Lily. “Hello, Miss Baxter.”
Lily tried to drive a stake into his heart but he easily ripped the stake from her hand and tossed it on the floor. He quickly wrapped his arm around her waist and carried her with lightning speed toward the door of the plane. He moved so fast that Lily saw only a blur. She heard what she assumed was the door being opened, then she saw only blackness and heard only wind.
As they fell through the night sky, Lily reached up and pressed her open palm against the vampire’s face. Smoke rose from his burning face as soon as her skin touched his.
“Oh yeah!” Travis screamed. “Give me more! Do it with both hands!”
Okay, Lily thought, this is bad.
After a significant fall through the darkness, they finally landed. The vampire had somehow slowed the fall, making the landing downright gentle.
Can he fly? Lily wondered.
Travis released his hold on Lily and said, “I’m sure you understand that running is pretty pointless, right?” His face was still smoking from the burns Lily had caused, but he seemed oblivious to any pain.
“I’m sure you understand that I’m going to kill you before this is over, right?” Lily said.
“Oh, come on,” Travis said. “You just saved the lives of your friends up there. Thanks to you, I didn’t kill any of them. You should be happy.”
“I’ll be happy when you’re dead,” Lily said.
In the darkness, it was hard to make out any detail, but it was bright enough for her to see that they were facing a large field… or maybe a desert. It was difficult to tell. She looked behind her to see a small patch of woods. Through the trees she could see light reflecting on water. They were near a lake.
“Go,” Travis said with a shove. “I’m sure he’ll land the plane in this field.”
“Watching you die is going to feel good,” Lily said. “Really. You’re kind of an asshole.”
