by Dylan Keefer
“Stop! No!” Mei tried to move, but she was frozen. Every bone and muscle in her body was unable to move. She started to panic as the figure stood over the girl and held the knife over her head. “Don’t do this!”
Mei’s screams didn’t stop them. The knife was brought down upon the child.
She jolted back to the present. Clayton stood in front of her with his hands on her shoulders and a worried look on his face. She was in the elevator of the hotel.
“Mei, what happened?” He asked. “The elevator doors opened, and you were just standing there with a blank look on your face.”
Had she been on the elevator this whole time? She shook her head. “Clayton, I had another vision. It was different. There’s something dangerous going on.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The best move was to enter Dr. Boyle’s lecture without showing any reaction to the fact that he knew she stole something from him, and he had been a part of the plan to have her killed. Madi took a deep breath before walking in the lecture hall and starting to chat with one of her classmates. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked towards Boyle’s desk. His eyes were fixed on her, and the look on his face was pure disbelief. Well, if that wasn’t confirmation that he was in on it.
Madi felt a little more comfortable listening to Boyle’s lecture about the current social trend’s effects on the economy knowing that in the back of his mind he was trying to figure out why she was alive and in his class.
She liked him. That was the only hard part. She had learned a lot from him since she had been in school, and he had put a lot of faith in her by recommending her for projects; including the big one that she had spent much of her recent life on.
“Madi, could I see you for a moment?”
Everyone was filtering out of the room at the end of class, and Madi nonchalantly strolled up to his desk.
“Dr. Boyle. How was the rest of the event last night?”
He narrowed his eyes at her candor. “We’ve garnered a lot of support for the school’s research departments. In fact, we are almost a hundred percent to our goal; so, we can really move full steam ahead. And Larent Smith seemed impressed with you. He is going to meet with the think tank today, and I think you should be there.”
“That’s wonderful. Well, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“How have you been?” His tone still held one of curiosity.
“I’m fine,” she smiled and then held up a finger. “Funny thing, though. I was a little scared because this guy was following me last night. I thought for sure that he would try to attack me, but he simply disappeared.”
Dr. Boyle nodded. “I’m glad your safe. You should always be careful when you are walking about at night or any time you are alone.”
She left the room with a new resolve. Don’t trust anyone. She was alone in this.
The others that were part of the think tank were just like her: lovers of human advancement who recognized the past was a significant key to the future. They were there to help discuss real and physical ways for Larent Smith to test his theories and studies. It could stop memory loss in dementia and Alzheimer’s. It could lessen the impact of concussions. It was going to be revolutionary.
Madi’s cell phone vibrated, and she saw a mass text from Dr. Boyle to the think tank. Several responses came at the same time from the others setting in stone the meeting time for the group. Perfect. Until then, she needed to focus on her other mission. Last night’s chance meeting with Clayton and Mei hadn’t escaped her. She felt bad for the girl, and yet happy at the same time. Her not knowing who the Dominion were was a blessing. Madi wouldn’t have been alive otherwise.
“You look deep in thought.” Madi turned quickly to see Larent Smith walking up to the her. She had been so deep in thought that she had almost passed by him on the way out of the building.
“You again,” she smiled. “What are you doing here?” Larent pointed in the direction that she was coming from. “I’m going to see Dr. Boyle. We’ve got some things to discuss, and I’m also meeting with your group tonight. Six-thirty, I believe.”
Madi raised her phone in the air. “Yep, I just got confirmation. Can’t wait.”
“Maybe we could meet beforehand. You and me. What do you think about dinner?”
Madi shook her head and started to walk away. “I love dinner. It’s a great meal.” She walked away before he could say anything else, but she could tell that he was watching her leave. Sorry, buddy. Not interested like that.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Mei lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. It had taken a moment for her to calm down from her vision. Clayton had wanted to talk about it, but she couldn’t. The only thing that she could picture was the knife plunging into the girl, and the people all humming that song.
Clayton had ensured her that a blood supply was coming. “I think the visions are getting stronger because you aren’t drinking blood.”
“Then maybe, I shouldn’t have any,” she said. “I haven’t had any blood since we started traveling, and the two visions have been pretty intense. Maybe we should…”
“You are still half- vampire, Mei. You need to feed that side, or that side of you is going to snap.”
Mei knew he was right. She could already feel the thirst for blood making her skittish.
A knock at the room door cause them both to jump, and Clayton walked over and opened it. Four individuals walked into the room.
“Ruth. Garrett. It’s good to see you.” Clayton embraced the adults. Mei stood up and clasped her hands in front of her.
“Clayton, we didn’t know you were here? I’m glad that you reached out to Jonah.”
“I wasn’t sure if anyone was in the city. I’m glad you are here.”
Ruth was small and frail-looking. Mei detected an accent but wasn’t sure where in the world it was from. Two young children stood by their parents, and they looked just like their mom.
“Is this her?” Ruth nodded to Mei. Clayton nodded. Ruth walked over and grabbed for Mei’s hands. “My family and I are honored to help. Clayton has done so much us. We owe him our lives.”
Mei looked confused. “Um—I’m not sure what is going on here.”
Ruth looked at Clayton with a disapproving look. “She doesn’t know why we’re here?”
Mei watched Clayton scratch his head. “Mei, Ruth, Garrett, and their children are here to donate their blood to you.”
“They what!” Mei stomped her foot. “I told you that I didn’t want to hurt anyone or force anyone.”
“He isn’t,” Garrett assured. “My family and I want to help you. We know the risks, but we also know that you are important to Clayton, and if you are important to Clayton, then you are important to us.”
“We’ve done a lot more dangerous things than this.” Ruth smiled. She turned to her children. “Ben, bring me the bag with the supplies, then I want to you and Anya to scent the room and the hallways around us.”
Both children looked to be about twelve or thirteen. They didn’t look confused or scared at all. Ruth placed the bag on the bed and started to pull out some tubes and a box with what looked like medical supplies. Clayton pulled Garrett out of the room with him when the kids left.
“What are you doing?” Mei asked as Ruth placed her hands on her shoulders and pushed her to sit on the bed.
“I’m going to set up blood transfusion of some sort. You could bite us, but that would leave an unexplainable mark. We are going to feed the needle through a tube that is biodegradable. You will drink from the tube, and then we will burn it.”
“This seems like a lot.”
Ruth nodded. “Yes, it is, but it is how we stay safe. You are a visitor here; so, you don’t know.”
“How do you know?” Mei asked. She glanced at Clayton. “And how do you know Clayton? Who is this Jonah?”
Ruth smirked. “How long have you known Clayton?”
Mei frowned. “Not too long actually. Just a few weeks. Why?”
<
br /> “I’ve known him for a few years. He and another vampire hunter saved my family from a vampire attack. We were on a camping trip, and if it wasn’t for him…” Ruth side. “That hunter was named Jonah. He was one of few hunters that rebelled against the urge and natural instinct to just kill vampires. He wanted to understand the supernatural and evil in them. He wanted to rescue them. My husband and I wanted to help him.”
“And Clayton?” Mei asked. “He helped, too?”
“Clayton struggled,” Ruth said. “It’s not easy for a hunter to go against the desire to kill vampires. The fact that he is with you right now and has been for so long says a lot.”
The door opened, and the kids returned carrying some burning sticks. Mei’s lungs were immediately filled with the heavy aroma that poured from them.
“Spread it around the room,” Ruth instructed them. She sighed. “There aren’t a lot of supernatural around here, and that is because the Dominion control pretty much everything around here without being obvious.”
Mei perked up. “The Dominion? What do you know about them?”
“Not much actually,” Ruth admitted. “I know that they run deep, and they will kill anything that deals with the supernatural that is not sanctioned by them. That’s why we can’t just give you blood. We have to mask any trace that blood is being given to you.”
Hide the smell. Destroy the evidence. Mei understood.
Clayton watched as Garrett processed what he was saying. “So, you met a Summoner? God, I thought they all died off.”
“I did, too. And you know that they died off for good reason,” Clayton said. “They are dangerous and unpredictable. And she has blood that is poisonous to Mei.”
Garret’s eyes raised. “Mei is Dominion! Clayton, you could have led with that.”
“I’m out of touch that’s why. Who are the Dominion?”
“No one, but the Dominion knows,” Garrett said. “You get too close, you die. You ask too many questions, you die. I’m saying this because I’ve known people who died.”
“Except the Summoner.”
“You watched her kill another vampire. No Dominion is going to go close to a Summoner. So, that vampire did not know who she was; not at first.”
“Why have I not heard of the Dominion until now?” Clayton asked. “I know vampires. This is new to me.”
“Honestly, Clayton, the Dominion are in a league of their own. I think you may need to talk to your Summoner friend to find out the information that you’re looking for.”
Clayton sighed. ‘Well, that’s not going to happen. She made it very clear that she didn’t want to involve herself with Mei even if she is a good vampire and has no clue about the Dominion.”
The door to the hotel room opened, and Garret’s daughter peaked her head out. “Mom says that we’re ready.”
The two men stepped back into the room. Ruth already had herself set up to feed Mei first. Clayton could see that Mei was very uncomfortable with the whole thing; he started to talk to her about what he and Garrett discussed. It seemed to take her mind off it all.
“How do we find out about a secret sect of vampires without them knowing that we’re trying to find out about them?” Mei asked as she stopped drinking for a moment. Ruth was already switching over to let Garret give some blood.
“We know that you were brought here as a girl. You were placed in the care of a man named Serge. You begged him to rescue a boy that had been burned at the stake in Salem, and Serge turned him. You remember a man trying to kill you. And now, you are having visions of a beach and a ship, and a girl being stabbed all while a song is being sung.”
Garrett whistled. “I don’t know how you sleep at night, Mei.” She shrugged as she swallowed more blood.
“The key is going to be in finding out more on the Dominion and getting up to Salem,” Mei said. Clayton nodded.
“You’re going to need money and a better place than this hotel room,” Ruth said softly as she brought her daughter over to be hooked up to Mei. “You’re going to need to live.”
Mei watched as the girl sat down next to her. “I can’t thank you enough, Anya.” The girl smiled back.
“It’s okay. We are the dead. You will help us live.”
Mei stiffened. “What did you say?”
Anya’s face suddenly started to distort. Everything around her started to get blurry.
The waters crashed along the beach and made it seem like she was in a different world entirely. Mei stood at the line where the water decided to let the sand continue with the journey. She was back. Same beach. Same ship down the coast a little bit. And same tune. The voice was beautiful and rich. Mei started to walk over to the reeds again, but something stood out to her that didn’t catch it the first time. Footprints. Two sets. Mei stepped back and found her foot sinking into one of the footprints. She looked at the other set of prints. She just needed to figure out the second set. They stopped at the shore and led all the way back to the ship.
Mei knew that these visions didn’t have a specific amount of allotted time. She took off running and following the prints. Until she came face to face with the giant boat, and boy, was it big. The vessel creaked as its wooden bow bounced back and forth. A giant white flag rippled in the wind. Mei walked around the side of the boat and saw no entrance. She didn’t see or hear anyone working on the ship. It was all very strange. Looking back, the footprints started where she was. She cleared her throat.
“Hello!” There was no answer. “Is anyone there?”
“I am,” she heard a voice said from behind her. She turned quickly and nearly choked at what she saw.
Her body reacted. Mei opened her eyes and searched the room. Clayton stared at her in shock. Ruth was crying with her hands reaching out towards her, and Garrett and his son were yanking at her arm. Her hand was wrapped around Anya’s throat. Mei gasped and let go of the girl. She jumped back away from everyone and stared at her hands.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Ruth rushed to her daughter who accepted being wrapped up in her mother’s arms. The family huddled together while Clayton reached out to her. Mei shook her head.
“No! Stay away!” She ran for the bathroom and shut the door behind her locking it. With her back against the door, she slid down into a sitting position as the tears flowed.
CHAPTER NINE
He was early. Madi pulled into the parking spot behind Larent’s black mustang and climbed out of the car. Music blared from the vehicle, and the bass seemed to shake the area around them. Larent had his eyes closed and head nodding. Madi leaned down until her face was almost plastered against the window. After a few seconds, Larent opened his eyes and jumped in his seat at the surprise face beside him. Madi burst into laughter as he turned off the music and climbed out of his car.
“That was mean. I didn’t think you had it in you, but obviously, you have some mean girl underneath that sweet, innocent demeanor.”
“First, of all,” Madi said. “I never tried to come across as sweet and innocent. I believe that us gingers have a reputation. You should always be careful around us.”
“Obviously,” Larent smiled.
“And speaking of surprising,” she said. “Did not pick you for a country music fan—that was far from what I would pick for your musical top ten.”
“And what would you have picked?”
“Dubstep,” Madi said laughing again at this reaction.
“That is not music,” Larent gasped. “That’s noise. Literally, a bunch of noises fighting for attention.”
“I’m sorry. I won’t equate you with that noise again,” she said with a serious look on her face. “C’mon, we should get inside. These scientific types are pretty anal about time.”
They walked into the research lab and past the security desk. Madi hadn’t spent a lot of time in the lab before. She had been down there once to watch a demonstration a year ago, but since her field was history, she didn’t really fit in. She was a little war
y of Dr. Boyle’s attitude towards her this morning. She had watched her back the whole day, but nothing strange had happened. That didn’t mean she could afford not to be vigilant. She wouldn’t even be here tonight if she wasn’t curious to what Boyle was up to with Larent’s research.
The entire group was sitting in the lab waiting as soon as they walked in. She knew all of them because they were in Boyle’s inner circle. She was different though and didn’t associate with them outside of that at all.
A tall thin brunette stood up with a smile. “Mr. Smith. My name is Marcy. I’ve followed your research for a while now, and I am so happy that you’re here. It’s an honor.”
“Thank you,” Larent said as his hand was pumped from her handshake.
“Let the man breathe, Marcy,” a guy said from behind her. His whiny, high-pitched voice was unmistakable. He waved slightly at Larent. “Kevin. Good to meet you.”
“And I’m Ginny. You look better in person than you do in your pictures.” Madi rolled her eyes at the failed flirting. Larent glanced at Madi. “Oh, do you two have a thing already?
Madi cleared her throat, and Larent blushed. “No. Miss O’Henry and I just met,” he said.
“Besides,” Marcy said. “Madi is more interested in the other team.”
“And this is Dana, and that is Marcos. Maybe, we should get started.”
“Right,” Larent said. Madi moved to the back of the group as he talked. “Just to give you a little background, I grew up in Texas. I was always interested in medicine. I went to med school, and it was during my clinicals that I met a lady who had been attacked by a wild animal. Her injuries were traumatic, but she couldn’t remember anything that happened. She could barely remember her own name. I started to become curious about the brain, and how it repressed memory. I became obsessed with it. So, that started me on my journey, and I’m happy to say that I found a theory that works in memory control. I think I’m on the verge of discovering how to access, manipulate, and even create memories that we never there. I call it compulsion.”
