by Jade Farhill
“Let the chef give her animal blood then!” Elliot snapped.
“It’s my blood to give and my decision to make, so back off!” Trent retorted. “If you lot had been more diligent, this would never have happened.”
He was at Abby’s side again a moment later, pulling off his jacket and rolling up his sleeve. When he offered her his forearm, Abby turned her head away.
“This isn’t the time to be noble, Abby,” he whispered. “You’ll die if you don’t drink.”
But blood was still pouring from Abby’s mouth. She wouldn’t have been able to bite Trent even if she wanted to, let alone suck blood out of him.
Trent flicked his eyes over her face. “You don’t have the strength to bite, do you?”
“She had the strength to look away,” the little hunter said beside them.
“Where did you come from, kid?” Trent demanded. Then he opened Abby’s mouth and pushed his forearm onto her fangs. He gently tilted her head back, just like Sharon had done when she’d Turned Abby.
The blood slid down her throat.
When it reached her stomach, it started what felt like a war within her. The silver was eating away at her insides, Trent’s blood trying to heal her. She forced herself to keep drinking.
Her stomach heaved and she pulled Trent’s arm away from her mouth and threw up the contaminated blood.
It burned as it left her body.
“Give her more,” the little hunter said.
“I’m not taking orders from you,” Trent muttered, but obeyed anyway. “And why are you even here?”
“I figured it would be you dying tonight, not her.”
“She’s not dying.”
“We need to get her to a med room,” Astrid said.
“Impossible. They’re reserved strictly for humans,” Nina snapped.
“Well, she needs medical treatment,” Liam replied.
“We can’t even be sure that the next lot of animal blood you give her isn’t contaminated,” Harriet said.
“Where did you come from?” grumbled Elliot. “It was bad enough when it was just them.” He gestured to the non-hunters in the room.
“I was in the refectory when I heard the commotion,” Harriet replied.
“Shower. Silver in blood on legs. Wash,” Abby said through her pain.
“Oh, god, she’s still got silver on her!” gasped Liam. “She could die from this! We have to get her to her room.” He moved to carry Abby away.
“No humans are allowed in her room, Chef,” reminded Nina.
“It’s either that or she dies,” Trent said through his teeth.
“I don’t care about rules right now,” said Liam. He met Trent’s eyes and nodded to the door.
Trent quickly opened it and escorted them back to Abby’s room.
Liam went straight to Abby’s shower and put her down gently.
All the while, Abby clamped down on her impulse to bite into his exposed neck.
Liam stood up. “Right, now we need to wash off that silver on your legs.” He turned on the tap and water rushed over her, soothing her burning skin. The liquid spiralling into the drain was red with a metallic sheen.
Behind the chef gathered Trent, Astrid, the little hunter, Nina, Elliot and three more hunters.
“There must be something else we can do,” Astrid said.
“We’re not going to let you do anything else,” Elliot huffed. “You’ve already violated two of the most important rules: letting her drink your blood—”
“To save her life!” Trent shouted.
“—and,” Elliot continued, ignoring the xenobiologist, “entering her room.”
“He’s right,” Nina added. “I’m afraid we’re going to put her in isolation.”
“You are not moving her,” Astrid argued. “She hasn’t even got all the silver off her yet.”
“And when she does, she’ll be even more deadly,” Nina said, “which is why I’m enforcing this isolation now.”
“What do you mean ‘enforcing’?” Trent asked, a disturbed expression on his face.
“It means that if we don’t leave now,” said the little hunter, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, “they’ll use force on us.”
Trent glared at Nina. “You would seriously attack humans?”
“If it’s in the interest of your safety, yes,” Nina replied.
“You know what she can do when she’s in a blood rage,” Elliot added.
“What?” asked Astrid. “She broke out of—”
“It’ll be different this time,” Nina said. “She’ll go into it because she’s hungry, not because she’s angry.”
“I can’t believe this!” Trent said. “She’ll die!”
“She’s a vampire,” the little hunter said, “surviving is what they do.”
“I don’t care, this treatment is inhuman and I’m not leaving!” Trent insisted.
“Hunters!” Nina called, and all the hunter guards pulled out their blades, eyes now focused on the humans.
“Nina,” whispered Liam.
“The vampire is in quarantine. You are hereby ordered to leave,” Nina said, eyes hard.
CHAPTER 21
A tense moment passed. It looked like Trent was about to test if they really would harm him when the little hunter groaned heavily. “What am I supposed to do for fun now?”
Watch a movie like a normal kid? But Abby was in too much pain to give the little hunter a piece of her mind. “Trent,” she gasped, “get Jen, investigate blood.”
Having a mission, Trent nodded and left, leading the rest of the humans out. The hunters locked the door from the outside.
And Abby was trapped, bleeding and in pain, without any assistance. All because she hungered for human blood.
***
Hours later, Abby was strong enough to stand. Third-degree burns, blisters and raw flesh had raged down the underside of her legs, but the wounds knitted together before her eyes. The little hunter’s words about vampires specialising in survival suddenly rang true.
She was healing rapidly. But as she did, she got hungrier.
Abby put on a dress, careful not to let the fabric touch her legs.
A knock came at the door. “I’m suing the hunters’ organisation for allowing this attempted murder to happen,” came Jen’s voice.
Abby shuddered—it really was attempted murder. Even though she was locked away in her room, she still felt unsafe—the hunters had the key and could enter whenever they wanted. “Thank you.”
“The kitchen staff are investigating this incident too. Trent’s testing the blood designated for you, and all of it has been contaminated.”
That didn’t surprise Abby. Someone obviously wanted to get rid of her. At least she knew she could cross the little hunter off her list—strangely, he didn’t seem to want her dead. Not yet, anyway.
Abby wished Jen would believe her a little more when it came to the harassment she was facing. Maybe then Jen could sue the hunters for that too.
“The fact that all the blood has been contaminated is further proof this was a premeditated attempt on your life. I’m taking this to the president, and I’ll oversee the investigation into who’s responsible. In the meantime, we’re working on getting you more blood.”
Abby relaxed her shoulders. “The sooner the better, if possible.”
“If you don’t have any blood by tomorrow, I’ll send Trent out for some steaks.”
Tomorrow? Could she survive the night with raging burns and a hunger slowly building to snapping point? “Thank you, Jen. I appreciate it.”
“I’ll talk to you later.”
Jen’s footsteps retreated down the hall. Abby was glad—the lawyer’s heartbeat was beginning to make her mouth water.
Alone again, Abby hugged her elbows. She had known this place wasn’t safe from the time the little hunter started to cut himself, but this was proof beyond doubt. Had it not been for the little hunter’s quick thinking and Trent’s generosity, she
might be dead by now.
Dying by silver was a terrible and painful way to go. The hunters knew that.
Abby cursed herself for not testing the blood before she drank it. She wouldn’t make that mistake ever again. She even had a machine at the lab that tested for silver in blood—when did she get so complacent? Perhaps she was distracted by the hunters cutting themselves around her, or perhaps it was knowing she had trusted friends among the scientists and the kitchen staff—even some of the hunters acted okay towards her.
Abby never wanted to see another hunter again in her entire life, but she knew that wasn’t possible. She still needed these people, and they weren’t about to let her go without the cure.
She paced her room, reminding herself of her mantra: Hope. The cure. Sharon. Humanity.
***
The next morning, Trent showed up outside Abby’s door.
She snapped her gaze from a book, seeing a red haze on the outskirts of her vision. He would have food for her, not be her food—she needed to remember that.
“Hunters, can you open the door?” she shouted.
The lock clicked. The door opened and a wave of delicious scents washed over her.
The red haze sped towards the centre of her vision. She quickly snatched the offered packages and slammed the door shut.
Abby forced herself to focus on the food in her hands, and not on the mouth-watering humans just on the other side of the flimsy metal door.
The meat was on seven black Styrofoam trays, wrapped in clingwrap. Her fangs pierced the first package, sucking as much blood as she could from the steak inside.
When she was finished all seven steaks, she felt much better. In control of herself. But not quite satisfied. I should apologise to Trent for how I snatched the food.
She washed her face and knocked on the door. “Hey, I’m feeling much better now. Can I come out?”
“You were in a blood rage a few minutes ago,” Nina replied. “So no.”
Abby’s eye twitched. The idea of breaking down this door was becoming more tempting by the minute. No, Abby, calm down. If you break out, they’ll kill you.
“What do I have to do to prove that I’m in control?”
“Nothing,” Elliot replied.
“How am I supposed to work on the cure if I can’t even access my lab?”
A moment of silence. Then:
“Fine, but be warned, Vampire, we’ll be watching you,” Nina replied. The lock clicked open.
“When are you not?” Abby muttered to herself as she stepped into the hallway.
Hunters eyed her warily, some cutting themselves.
Abby ignored this and went to the lab.
There, she found Trent hunched over a microscope.
“Abby!” he said, a delighted smile on his face. “You’re all better?”
“Sorry about befo—”
“Nonsense! You were sick, it’s fine. I’m just glad you’re okay. That was, uh … not the date night that I envisioned.”
She smiled. “So you want to try again?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “But after we’ve dealt with this … er … problem.”
“Jen’s on it.”
“Good, good.” He looked at his watch. “It’s nearly lunchtime, and I’m sure Astrid and the others will be wanting to see you.”
“What were you doing in the lab on a Sunday, anyway?” she asked as they left.
He winked at her. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to enter the apartment section, so I had to make sure you could find me. Besides, it was either this or hang out in the refectory, but hunters—especially those I don’t know—are always giving me lectures on why I shouldn’t associate with you.”
“And for good reason,” Elliot muttered.
Trent sent him a dirty look.
When they reached the refectory, Astrid rushed out to greet them. “Oh, you’re better! Chef! Abby’s here and she’s okay!”
Liam and the other kitchen staff appeared at the door.
“Abby!” Liam said, coming out from behind the counter, a large smile on his ruddy face. “I’m so glad. And I want to apologise for last night.”
“Please, don’t apologise. I know it’s not your fault.”
Liam shook his head. “We should have been more rigorous in ensuring that you only received clean blood.”
“And we will be from now on,” Astrid added.
Abby smiled at them. “Thank you.” She flicked her eyes to the plastic pool table. A game always cheered them all up. “Shall we play?”
Astrid beamed.
***
The supply of blood to the refectory was blocked. No one could figure out why, but it made Liam irate that someone was interfering with how he ran his kitchen. In the meantime, Astrid was tasked with going out to get meat for Abby.
A few days later, Lynn was looking pale. She was almost ready to give birth, yet still insisted on coming into work.
“What’s wrong?” Abby asked.
She flicked her eyes around nervously. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Do you need to take some leave?”
“No!”
Abby jerked back at the desperation.
Lynne looked at the floor. “I mean, no, thank you. I’m fine.”
Jen updated Abby on the progress of the investigation, which was just as stalled as the blood supply into the kitchen. “Hunters are protecting their own,” Jen muttered, arms folded across her chest.
Elliot was deliberately looking away. Was Jen referring to him as well?
“Everyone who might know something are all staying quiet,” Jen continued.
Trent was listening in closely.
“Someone has to know something,” Trent said.
“They do, but they’re not talking.”
Lynn flinched.
Abby noticed this. Was Lynn the someone who knew something? If Lynn wanted to tell someone about it, then the best person for her to speak to was the one leading the investigation. But how could Abby ensure they spoke without hunters overhearing?
“Um, I just need to get something from my room,” Abby said. “Jen, can you wait here until I get back?”
“As long as you don’t take too long.”
Abby nodded, then sent Lynn a pointed look. The young geneticist widened her eyes and glanced at Jen. Abby left the room quickly.
A few minutes later, Abby passed Jen in the hallway. There was a spark of determination and anger in the solicitor’s eyes. Perhaps Lynn had spoken to her.
Lynn didn’t leave the lab after that. Wherever Abby went, Lynn followed. She even slept at her desk in the lab as Abby continued her work.
Abby didn’t mention it, but assumed that Lynn was using her for protection, as Abby had sworn to do it in the past.
CHAPTER 22
One Sunday, Abby went to the refectory to get some food. Astrid grinned wickedly and produced a cup of blood. “I found this at a local butcher.” She handed it over as Abby gaped.
“How?”
“I have my ways,” Astrid said mysteriously.
Abby chuckled and returned to the refectory, Lynn tailing after her, with breakfast in hand. Abby made sure to go to the refectory three times a day to ensure that Lynn had proper meals.
Back at the lab, Abby settled in and concentrated on figuring out if activating the junk DNA did anything at all to vampires. Lynn was playing on a computer on the other side of the lab. The hunters were in between Abby and the scientist.
The intense problem-solving made her hungry, and she swiftly drained the cup of blood.
When she put the cup down, the world seemed very different.
Colours were shattering and colliding with one another. Unlike when she was in blood rage, where she saw the world through a red filter, this was like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope.
Inanimate objects were dynamic and animated. Energy pulsated from the humans, the lights, the lab equipment.
Abby stared around herself in wonder.<
br />
What would music be like right now? She fumbled for her laptop and started her favourite play list, pumping up the volume.
Colours came to life and danced towards her from the speakers. She swayed to the beat, joining the colours in their celebration of life. Bursting into laughter, she raised her arms up in the air and sang to the lyrics, making colours flow out of her mouth.
“Abby?” Lynn asked.
“Lynn! Isn’t it beautiful?” Abby said, noticing that Lynn emanated white light from her swollen belly and her heart. The hunters also exuded the same white as Lynn, but their glow exuded from only one place—their hearts. Abby looked at her hands—they thrummed with grey energy. Was she grey because she was a partial vampire?
But Abby didn’t get to contemplate this for long as Lynn said, “Er … what’s beautiful?” Colours poured from her mouth.
“Life! Sound, art, science!”
Lynn approached Nina, fractals spiralling on her skin. “Is she all right?”
“I don’t think so. I’ve only ever seen vampires act this way when …” she trailed off, blue eyes inspecting the empty cup of blood. “It might be best if you leave, Lynn—she could become erratic.”
But all Abby was feeling was joy and wonder. “It’s amazing! All these things you just take for granted. Like that microscope—have you ever really looked at it and thought of the detail that went into it? And how precise the lenses need to be? Incredible!”
“I’m calling Trent,” Lynn said, and went to the kaleidoscopic phone on the wall.
Abby smiled, imagining what it would be like to have Trent here with her, dancing.
He showed up five minutes later. “Abby?” he said uncertainly.
To Abby, he was glowing, radiating an energy that spoke of love. “Trent!” She rushed over to him. “Dance with me.”
But hunters surrounded her, drawing silver blades that emitted a dark, cloying energy.
Abby recoiled.
“Leave her, it’s fine!” Trent snapped. “Abby, what—what can I do to help you?”
“Dance with me,” she whispered.
Trent smiled. He took her hand and his other slipped around her waist. “Then let’s dance.”
“You can’t be serious,” spat Elliot.
