The Human-Undead War Trilogy (Book 1): Dark Intentions

by Jonathan Edwardk Ondrashek

  She wanted to pull his hands away from her leg, but she couldn’t. Staring down upon him, crumpled on the floor, she felt relieved. It was still Brian, she was certain of that. For if he were nothing more than a vampire, she truly would’ve been his meal already.

  She knelt beside him and ran her fingers through his damp, curly hair. Passion burst through her as it had the first time she’d grabbed his hand, the first time they met. She wanted to help him, but she could only think of one thing that would help a weak vampire.

  She paused, curls gripped in her hand. Her family had been destroyed in the first wave of the Undead onslaught that swept through the United States. She had few friends. Brian was all she had.

  And right now, she was the only one he had.

  She put her wrist to his lips. “Cut over the visible scab.”

  He looked up at her, eyes wide.

  “It’s where you drank from me the other day.”

  He gripped her slender arm, licking his lips. His body tensed and his eyes turned that bright blue that had been apparent at his first awakening. Then he placed his fangs over the nearly-healed incision.

  Like a bee sting: Almost non-existent. But, much like a needle, she could feel the fangs slide into her flesh. His lips pressed against her arm, creating a strong suction. He moaned as if in pleasure. With each audible gulp, his grip on her arm grew firmer.

  Ruby let Brian feed on her for several minutes. His skin changed from pasty white to an ashen gray. His cheeks were rosy. He no longer slouched on the ground but knelt beside her, back straight. He looked up at her and pulled his mouth away. Two pinpricks of blood appeared on the old incision.

  She was light-headed. She turned away from him and swooned. He caught her in his arms and hefted her up, carrying her to the bed with ease.

  She lay on the bed, breathing heavily, aware her generosity may have caused her to lose too much blood. A cup raised to her lips.

  “I only took enough to regain my strength. Rest. You’ll be fine. I promise.”

  Eyes closed, heart thumping, she drank from the cup offered to her. She then fell into the pillows, hoping Brian was in his right mind as he’d proclaimed.

  ***

  Brian willed his eyesight to infrared vision. Ruby slept peacefully, with yellow and orange and red surrounding her most vital organs. He willed his eyesight to normal vision again.

  She smelled so damn good. Fresh, clean. A hint of roses from her body wash. A faint coppery smell from the two pinpricks on her arm. He stared down upon her. A red haze floated over his sight. Her right arm dangled over the edge of the bed. He gently picked it up and brought it to his mouth. His tongue flicked out, touching one of the pinpricks.

  Blood. Sweet, succulent blood. The taste of it made his stomach turn. The need to feed was so exciting, so fulfilling. He imagined himself stalking a human down an alleyway. Chasing the meek mouse. Toying with it. Cornering it and ripping it apart, basking in blood and body parts.

  He dropped her arm then, disgusted. That was not him. And he wouldn’t do that to Ruby, or any other human, for that matter.

  The sound of chirping birds outside the window drove into him and wrenched his equilibrium. He felt he might topple over, ears bleeding, they were so damn loud! He sped to the opposite side of the room and slunk into a corner.

  Every few seconds, noises blasted his eardrums. He could almost feel little sound waves bouncing around inside his skull. In between those bursts of pain, he thought about how he’d felt no sympathy when Ruby told him of his attempted attack on her, the strange images of death and joyful murder dancing at the forefront of his mind, his lack of control.

  He cradled himself and rocked back and forth.

  Is this what it means to be Undead?

  Chapter 20

  “Sulking here all day will do you no good,” Father Stephenson said. He bent and placed new towels near the tub. “Why don’t you wander through the castle? It’d give you a chance to acclimate to your senses. Everything else will follow suit from there.”

  Brian glanced at the bed where Ruby slept.

  “She’ll be fine. I’ll watch over her. Go. Explore. Barnaby has made it clear that you’re welcome to do so.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  Father Stephenson’s gaze fell to the floor. “He’s out performing tasks abroad. He should return within the next two or three days.”

  Convenient. The Undead leader was a busy man. Of course he didn’t have time to wait around for his newest transformed ex-human to awaken.

  Brian regarded the vampire who claimed to have been a priest. “Was it this difficult for you too?”

  Father Stephenson straightened. His black garb made him appear starched from head to toe. He stared at the floor again. “More so, Mr. Koltz.”

  Brian felt a powerful tow wash over him then. He was glad it passed quickly. It was sad and mournful, yet stronger than the power that emanated from Barnaby. Brian’s interest was piqued. Did such power ripple from him? Would it ever?

  Ruby’s heartbeat beckoned him, pounding in his ears. He pushed the noisy intrusion aside, but it was increasingly difficult to resist the urges churning inside him. He needed to get away from her, away from that sweet blood coursing through her body.

  Maybe Father Stephenson was right. He’d wanted to learn more about Safehold’s structure and layout, especially now that it could become his permanent residence. Perhaps a short stroll would do him some good.

  “I guess a trip around the castle wouldn’t hurt.”

  “Take this with you.” Father Stephenson handed him a stopwatch.

  “What’s this for?”

  “You’ll figure it out.”

  Brain looked at him doubtfully.

  “Don’t let this spry physical body fool you. I’m wise beyond my years. You’ll thank me later.”

  Brian chuckled. He liked Father Stephenson. He was certain Ruby would be safe with him around.

  He pocketed the watch, thanked the old man, and walked to the hidden passage entrance. Without staring or squinting, he detected the blue tint on the brick that opened the passageway. He smacked the stone, went through the door, and trotted down the stairs.

  First he decided to go to the laboratory tower, the path to which he could recall. He picked his way through the maze of passages and made it to the flight of stairs before the huge wooden door to the tower. He trudged up them. No huffing and puffing. No sweat. No exhaustion.

  The physical freedom was unnerving yet exhilarating.

  Inside the circular tower, sunlight flooded the center. Barnaby had immersed himself in sunlight. What would happen if he tried to do so as well? Brian didn’t want to find out. Not alone, anyway.

  He tiptoed on the outer edge of the sunlight that spilled through the lancet. His steps were precise, controlled, fluid. Normally, his clumsiness would’ve left him sprawled across the floor, red-faced with embarrassment. Awed, he stopped moving and flexed his forearms. The muscles bulged beneath his taut, ashen skin. He had never felt so strong, so lithe. So attuned to his body.

  He could grow to enjoy this.

  Chirping birds bored into his thoughts then, sending them astray. He fought the urge to cover his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. Focus. Concentrate. Deny them entry. Drown them out. Make them disappear.

  The incessant noise dissipated. He opened his eyes and smiled. Then, just as quickly, the cawing birds overwhelmed him anew. Louder.

  He shut his eyes again. Concentrate. The birds were almost silenced when he reopened his eyes. He kept elation to a minimum and focused on the serene, bright sun and cloudless sky outside the window.

  The sounds were normal, as if he had regular hearing.

  He sighed.

  Being Undead wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d thought it’d be.

  ***

  John beckoned the three vampires waiting in the shaded alleyway. Rufus, Gunther, and Vince ambled through the hidden door that led to the catacombs beneath Ca
stle Safehold.

  Inside the passageway, Vince’s stark-white eyes regarded him. “This had better be worth it, Ashmore. I’m missing my beauty sleep.”

  John smiled as his eyes readjusted to the darkness. They weren’t like the Master. Daylight took its toll on them, shade or not. But now was the most opportune time to attack. The bumbling fawn-like scientist would still be weak from his rebirth. Easy to kill.

  “The new vampire has awakened,” he said. “And the Master’s away. Opportunity is bountiful.”

  “Then our reward should be as bountiful. We want double the payment. For the inconvenience, of course.”

  John hesitated. The Master requested twenty prisoners every week. Six more bodies might throw up alarms. Maybe he could convince Hammers their newest guests were vampires and the Master wanted to show respect. Hammers would buy into it. The big Undead oaf never communicated directly with the Master and carried out orders with nary a question. A good soldier.

  John also had yet to tell General Hammers of Frank’s death. He’d wanted to save that secret for the most opportune time as well, but if he had no other choice, he could use it to barter and pay the assassins.

  Regardless, the scientists had to die.

  “Done. But this hinges on whether or not you do what’s requested of you.”

  “We’ll get the job done.” Vince was suddenly beside John, whispering in his ear. “You just worry about holding up your end of the deal.”

  The three Undead lumbered away from him, toward the moat.

  “Do you know the way?” he called after them.

  Vince glanced over his shoulder, his white eyes dancing mischievously. “We’ll find him, don’t worry.”

  ***

  Brian walked around the edge of the sunlight again. He didn’t bother to tiptoe as before. He needn’t fear clumsiness anymore. His certainty made him feel powerful, something he’d never felt before.

  He laughed with glee. The sound bounced off the walls, unfamiliar and hollow. His vocal pitch was lower. Strange, yet expected. He’d dissected hordes of vampires and knew the majority of them had normal vocal cords, albeit dried up. He’d be no exception to the changes the Undead virus wrought on its victims.

  The laughter faded as he recalled the experiments and butchery he’d performed on vampires in the past. It was difficult to think about the things he’d done now that he was one.

  It just didn’t seem humane.

  The horrid memories taunted him, but he ignored their mental jabs. He focused on his new senses, his new body, his infallible confidence. With shoulders back and head held high, he walked down the flight of stairs leading back into the web of passageways inside the castle. He recalled how Barnaby had revealed his levitation powers on that very staircase and wondered anew which abilities he’d inherited from his estranged creator.

  He stopped on the bottom stair and brought his hands before him. He sniffed his right hand, then his left. No sulfur. His fingernails were darkening, gritty like flint. He snapped his fingers yet there was no spark, no flame dancing atop his index finger. He tried again with his other hand, with the same result.

  He felt embarrassed then. What would others think if they saw him? Would they see a vampire standing at the bottom of a staircase clicking his fingers like a fool, or would they not be able to see his movements at all?

  The stopwatch. Brian had forgotten about it. He pulled it from his pocket and stared at it, finally deciphering why the Father had given it to him. His eyes lit up.

  “Clever old man,” he whispered.

  He ran all the way to the guest quarters, never once gasping for air like he used to. Outside the hidden entrance, he turned around, clicked the start button, and sprinted back to the tower. At the edge of the sunlight spilling through the window, he clicked the stop button.

  Two point seven-zero seconds.

  He frowned and regarded the stopwatch, turning it over and over. It was normal. It worked fine. Yet it was impossible for him to have run such a distance in less than three seconds.

  He rushed back to the guest quarter door, turned, hit the reset button and start button, and sped back to the circular room.

  Two point five-nine seconds.

  Euphoria rippled through him. He laughed. The birds outside scattered.

  He had never felt so alive.

  Drunk with the knowledge of his power, he sped back to the guest quarters and jaunted to the circular room.

  When he hit the button on the stopwatch again, he held it high. Two point three-two seconds.

  “The best of us could run that in less than a second.”

  The voice was familiar. Brian whirled about, and then smiled at the three vampires before him: The fat one, the giant one, and the thin one who had heckled Ruby and him out in the square just days prior. He relaxed. They could probably sense he was a vampire now. They wouldn’t view him as a meal this time.

  He waved and asked, “What brings you to the castle, gentlemen?”

  The thin one fixated upon him, white eyes squinting. “Stand still and you’ll find out soon enough.”

  He circled to Brian’s left. The other two fanned out in the opposite direction.

  Something wasn’t right. The look in their eyes reminded Brian of a time he’d cornered a rabid raccoon in his basement. He tensed. Everything slowed to a crawl. His fight-or-flight instinct screamed from within. But he didn’t have enough time to make a choice.

  Mouths spread wide, all three vampires jumped at him simultaneously.

  He pivoted, ducked, and rolled toward the sunlight. In his panic, he hit the start button on the stopwatch before it tumbled to the floor. The somersault lasted forever. He craned his neck around as he came out of the roll. The three vampires collided in midair and fell to the floor in a heap. Brian came to his feet deftly, arms out at his sides to form a T. He balanced his weight to the heels of his feet, then sighed, eyes wide.

  He had stopped at the very edge of the sunlight.

  He turned around to find all three vampires back up, dusted off, and charging him again. The fat one, surprisingly, got to him first. Brian ducked a clawed hand as it raked at his face. He knelt, scooted forward on his knees, and placed his hands behind him. Then he shifted his weight to his arms and brought one foot in toward his stomach. Kicking out, he connected with the fat one’s bulbous belly. The obese vampire spiraled through the air and into the wall on the opposite side of the tower.

  Just as Brian completed the outward kick, the giant vampire was before him, arms raised and fingers netted together to come down like a hammer upon him. Brian’s kicking foot hit the ground again. He crossed his right arm over his body, planted it on the floor, and then rolled to the left. As his body rotated and his legs became airborne, he brought his knees in. Both of his legs exploded out in a blind backward donkey-kick.

  His arms and legs buckled as he hit the giant vampire in the chest. Brian fell flat to the floor, nose squished to the stone. A smile turned the corners of his lips.

  He wasn’t fatigued in the least.

  He pushed up with his arms. Light-headedness overtook him, and his vision blurred. His stomach quivered. A gust of wind rustled beneath him, and he became suspended in mid-air. He floated toward the high ceiling, until he was level with an upper lancet. His vision remained blurry, but there were three distinct shapes below him.

  The fat one pointed and laughed.

  The giant one smacked Fatty upside the head. “Shuddup, I telled ya, Rufus!”

  The thin vampire laughed. “Didn’t know you could levitate yet, did you, lad?”

  Brian squeezed his eyes shut and jumbled his head to gain focus. He reopened his eyes. Too much focus. The stopwatch was in his face, the numbers magnified.

  Ten seconds flat.

  Brian shut his eyes and reopened them. His vision was normal again.

  The thin vampire squatted, head up. He then burst from the floor, both hands balled into fists and held before him like a soaring superhero.<
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  Brian’s stomach churned. The ground—and the thin vampire—sped closer and closer.

  He was falling.

  The thin vampire’s fists hit him, one in the chest and the other in the jaw. Some of the force was from gravity and his momentous fall, but there was no mistaking the raw strength in those blows.

  The collision hurt. Bad.

  The pain dissipated. The thin vampire grabbed him around the midsection. Brian punched his bony face, but the vampire’s grin widened with each blow, his white eyes glowing. They plummeted, interlocked. The thin vampire manipulated his body so Brian was beneath him.

  They crashed into the floor. Brian screamed. His back felt as if it was broken in twain. The thin vampire stood up, then reached down and snatched Brian up by his neck.

  The pain subsided as quickly as it had come. Brian understood then why vampires were so damn hard to kill.

  The thin vampire tossed Brian at the giant one, who stuck out his arm and clothes-lined him. He gripped his throat and fell to his side on the floor, surprised his head was still intact. He rolled onto his back. All three vampires loomed above him, grinning.

  Anger welled within him. Who were these three attackers? Why were they after him? He’d done nothing to deserve this!

  The anger manifested itself and burst from him like an erupting volcano. He gasped as a translucent shockwave emanated from his body, pushing the three vampires away. Their stunned gasps turned to anguished cries as they were forced into the sunlight at the center of the room. They disappeared from view but their pained surprise lingered on.

  The waves dissipated. Brian propped himself up on his elbows. The three vampires huddled together several feet away, smoke billowing from their skin. He finally had a chance to stand. He didn’t even push out with his hands; his vision blurred of its own accord, his body went rigid, and that strange gust of wind lifted him into a standing position.

  The thin vampire reached out, a feral sneer tearing his facial features. Steel hands clamped about Brian’s neck, and he was hefted off his feet. The vampire then wrenched Brian into the sunlight.

  Brian waited for the imminent pain, the burst of ash and flame, the lifelessness, the death.