by J. C. Diem
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Our long, boring and painfully slow trip came to a shuddering halt after only three days at sea. It was midday and roughly half of our group was asleep. Only fifteen of us had chosen to remain awake. We had stupidly grown complacent, believing we had actually managed to elude Colonel Sanderson. I didn’t know how but he had tracked us down and we would shortly be trapped. It didn’t even occur to me that the ship might simply be malfunctioning. My instincts told me we were in danger and I wasn’t about to ignore them again.
When the engines powered down and came to a full stop, Luc and I exchanged glances that were full of fear. Practically nothing could stop these ships quickly once they were in motion. We coasted for some time before the ship came to a stop and began wallowing and rocking unpleasantly from side to side. Waves slapped at the hull but they didn’t mask the sound of sailors high above us on the top deck shouting queries at the people who were invading the ship.
Kokoro had chosen to remain awake again even though she had stood watch the day before. I wondered if her instincts had told her to or if it was just a coincidence. She tilted her head backwards as she scanned the minds of the newcomers. “It is Colonel Sanderson,” she said calmly. “He and his men have been ordered to kill us all and to leave no survivors.”
I took quick stock of who was awake and who was dead to the world. Ishida and Geordie were both asleep and wouldn’t wake even if their inert bodies were hacked apart. Gregor and Igor were also down for the count and I wished they weren’t. We needed their advice now more than we ever had before.
“What do we do?” Cristov asked. He was watching over Aventius, who had chosen a very poor time to rest. He rarely did so, preferring to remain awake most of the time. Even a being that had lived for almost five thousand years had to sleep sometime.
“Do we fight?” Luc asked the seer as the others gathered around. There was an even split of Japanese and Europeans awake and ready for action. All were terrified and weren’t hiding it very well.
Kokoro shook her head. Her expression was heavy with the dread we all felt. “There are too many of them.”
Frozen with indecision, I didn’t know what to do. If we went up to them, the sun would kill everyone but me and even I would be badly injured. If we waited down here, they would surround us and shoot us from above like fish in a gigantic barrel. The only consolation we had was that the soldiers couldn’t use their explosives. Not unless they wanted to sink the ship but that would be a useless venture. Thanks to the experiment they had performed on Aventius, they now knew we could survive being under water indefinitely.
Booted feet stomped on the deck far overhead and hatches were yanked open as men flooded inside the ship. Within minutes, my friends and allies would be dead and I would be alone. I would be the only remaining vampire on the planet, un-killable and conceivably able to live until the end of time.
Panic flared and I came very close to giving into it. Luc took my hand, dragging me away from the mental picture of my possible future and anchoring me to the here and now again. I had one chance to try to save my kin and one chance only. “Gather everyone together inside the container,” I told Luc. Out of sheer boredom, Geordie had pried open a door to one of the gigantic containers that were stacked one on top of another. The container he had chosen to investigate held refrigerators of all sizes and shapes. It should offer everyone some protection from bullets if my gambit failed and the soldiers opened fire.
“What are you going to do, Nat?” Luc’s rare use of my nickname meant he was feeling the stress even if he still looked serene on the outside.
“I’m going to try to bargain for our lives.” If the praying mantis could convince Sanderson and his government not to kill her and her people, maybe I could, too. Luc bent, gave me a swift kiss then hefted Geordie under one arm and Igor under the other. I cradled Gregor in my arms as if he was the damsel in distress and I was the hero of the story. Sadly, I always seemed to end up being the hero. As always, I didn’t feel up to the task.
When everyone was safely squished inside the container and nestled between the narrow rows of refrigerators, I closed the door and strode out into the open. Holding my hands up in surrender, I didn’t have to wait for long before I heard feet shuffling on the stairs. No matter how hard the humans tried to be silent, they always made some noise.
“There’s one of them,” a soldier muttered and about a hundred red dots suddenly appeared all over my body. They barely wavered as the soldiers descended the stairs to the floor of the cargo hold.
“Colonel Sanderson?” I yelled and my voice echoed around the confines of the ship.
“I am here,” he called back after a slight hesitation. “Who am I speaking to?” His tone was suspicious, as if he was expecting a trap. I hated to admit it but he had outfoxed us all. Even Gregor hadn’t anticipated that we would be caught at sea. We had been just as complacent as the soldiers and scientists in the secret underground torture chamber. I just hoped we wouldn’t suffer the same fate that they had.
It was as dark as hades down here and the men were wearing night vision goggles. They didn’t work on us the same way they did on humans and I would merely show up as an indistinct outline. “You haven’t forgotten my voice already have you?” I asked the leader of the troops. “It’s only been a few months since you tossed me out into the sun, blew me to pieces then put me in a box and threw me into the sea.” My sarcasm was almost thick enough to wade through.
“Natalie? Is that really you?” Sanderson’s tone turned incredulous. “It can’t be!” he muttered almost beneath his breath. Someone switched on a torch and shone it on my face. I blinked against the brightness and shaded my eyes as Sanderson pushed his way through the circle of men who had me surrounded.
“Anything is possible when it comes to me, Colonel. You should know that by now.”
“You and your…friends shouldn’t have slaughtered my people.” His voice was tight with anger.
“You slaughtered us first,” I shot back. “Then you kidnapped the rest of my friends and either killed or tortured them. As far as we’re concerned, we were just defending ourselves.” He struggled with that one. No matter what argument he came up with, he would sound like a complete hypocrite.
“Why are you talking to it instead of killing it?” a tiny voice said from within the colonel’s ear. It took me a moment to realize he was wearing a small earpiece.
Sanderson spoke into a receiver on his wrist. “The vampire known as Natalie has somehow managed to regenerate again, sir.” He winced in anticipation of how that news would be received.
“What? How is that possible? I thought you told me she was permanently incapacitated!” Whoever the person on the other end of the radio was, he was furious at the news.
“I thought she was, sir.”
“Ask her if she was responsible for the deaths of the vampires in France.”
“Yep. That was me,” I responded before Sanderson could voice the question. “My new policy is to track down and kill anyone who betrays me.”
“She says she was responsible, sir.” The colonel’s face went a few shades paler than normal as he realized the full implications of what I had just told him. He now knew that nothing would stop me from exacting revenge on my enemies. It didn’t need to be said that he was at the top of my shit list.
Heavy breathing came through the microphone nestled in the colonel’s ear. “Alright, here’s what we’re going to do. Kill all of her friends as planned then box her up in one of the containers and sink the ship.”
Before Sanderson could issue the order, I crossed the distance between us. Spinning him around, I wrapped my hand around his throat. He held up a hand before anyone could try to blow my head apart. “This is the vampire known as Natalie and I have a warning for you,” I said quietly into the colonel’s wrist that Sanderson had conveniently placed near my mouth when he’d raised his hand. “It would be a very grave mistake to threaten me and my people
.”
“Why is that, young lady?” the voice asked in a falsely calm tone.
I was pretty sure I recognized the voice. I’d seen the speaker on the foreign news often enough when I’d still been alive and living in Australia. “Because I can’t die, Mr President.” He gulped at being recognized. “No matter what sort of prison you put me in, I will escape and I will come for you. There is nowhere on this planet that you will be safe from me if your men harm any of my friends.”
A babble of voices erupted through the earpiece and Sanderson winced. “Quiet! Let me think!” the President shouted and the voices hushed. Silence descended for a few seconds. “Colonel Sanderson, I need to speak with you privately,” he said at last. “Make sure none of your people fire their weapons at any of the creatures.”
I released the colonel and he gestured for his men not to shoot. “Keep your eye on her but do not fire unless I give the order.”
Dozens of tiny red dots continued to light up my face and body as Sanderson climbed back upstairs. He was smart enough to move out of my hearing range, much to my disappointment.
“Is everything alright?” Luc asked softly from within the container.
I moved closer so we could talk in relative privacy without actually giving away which container my friends were hidden in. “Sanderson and his President are having a private discussion while they decide our fate.”
Kokoro’s voice floated through the metal walls next. “Your threats have swayed the American ruler. He has decided not to kill us.” I heard the relief in her words even as Sanderson’s feet clomped on the stairs.
“Let me know if he changes his mind,” I told her then moved back to the centre of the open space again.
“The President has agreed not to destroy your people,” the colonel said in a clipped tone. He was pissed that I’d threatened his boss but I really couldn’t care less. Our alliance had been shattered the instant his men had tossed me out into the sun to fry. It had been destroyed beyond any hope of repair after my friends and allies had been killed and the rest had been turned into lab rats.
“So, does that mean we can go free?” I asked. Deep down I knew what the answer would be but I hoped I would be wrong.
“No.” His answer was curt and final. “We’re turning the ship around and heading back to port. A decision will be made about your future during the next few days. I’ll let you know more when I’ve been updated. I want you and your people to remain down here. If any vampires are spotted on the upper decks, they will be shot on sight.” With that grim warning, he and his men retreated back up to the surface.
Luc pushed open the container door when I knocked on it softly. He gave me a strained smile then pulled me in for a hug. Kokoro wrapped her arms around us both. “You have saved us once more, Natalie.” The gratitude in her tone brought a lump to my throat. I hadn’t saved us but had merely put off our deaths. The devious humans would have three days and nights to come up with a plan. I doubted whatever solution they came up with would appeal to us.
When the sun went down, we didn’t have good news for those who began to wake from their slumber. Geordie’s young face crumpled in fear when Luc explained what had happened while they had been unconscious. “They are going to kill us all!” he said shrilly. I hugged him to my side, unable to think of a suitable lie to soothe his fears.
Gregor thought furiously as Ishida grilled Kokoro about what she had gleaned from the President’s thoughts. Igor looked bored but his eyes were tight and gave away his tenseness. Aventius gathered his followers together and tried to keep them calm. Cristov sent me frequent glances, as if waiting for me to offer a solution that would save us. I hated to disappoint him but I was fresh out of ideas. If Gregor couldn’t come up with a way out of this mess then we were screwed.
One of Ishida’s warriors suggested that we should fortify the container in case the soldiers changed their minds and decided to attack us. Gregor seconded the idea so they went to work. From Igor’s sardonic look, I guessed their efforts would be a waste of time but at least it would keep them busy for a while.
While a team of determined vamps tore the refrigerators apart, I drew Kokoro aside. We moved far enough away that no one would be able to overhear us. “Do you know what the U.S. government has planned for us?” I asked her bluntly. Ishida had already asked her that question but she had replied in the negative. Since she was the kid’s master, she could lie to him whenever she wanted. If their roles had been reversed, she would have spilled her guts to him in a heartbeat.
She shook her head regretfully. “I lost contact with the President as soon as the Colonel switched his radio off. I am no longer privy to his thoughts.”
I glared at Geordie when he attempted to sidle closer to listen in on our private exchange. Turning, he pretended to examine the insides of a dismantled fridge. “What about Sanderson? Have you learned anything from him?” I lowered my voice even further and the seer copied me.
“He has not been informed of their plans as yet. I do not believe he will be until they have been finalized.”
I wished I’d never told the soldier about Kokoro’s ability to read minds. It would have come in very handy to know what they had planned so we could try to think up a counter move. Our fate would be sprung on us without any prior warning and we wouldn’t have a chance to think of a way out of whatever dilemma we would face.
“I will advise you if I discover what our future holds,” she told me and turned away.
“We already know what our future holds,” I said to her back. Death and darkness. She hesitated then nodded at the thought I sent to her. Despite all that we had been through already, we still had that disquieting and mysterious event to look forward to.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Bored with our forced inactivity and anxious about our future, we spent most of our time huddled together inside the newly fortified container. Igor had come up with a roster and had chosen four people to stand guard at a time. We would all have a turn to keep watch and make sure the soldiers weren’t trying to sneak up on us. Personally, I found sentry duty to be even more boring than sitting around discussing our lack of options.
Geordie was the one to discover how the soldiers had managed to track us down so easily. Futilely rubbing his arms for warmth, he frowned and fingered a spot under his left bicep. Picking at his skin through his hoodie, he gave me a puzzled look. “Why do I have a lump in my arm? I don’t remember having one there before.”
One by one, they all checked and each had a similar lump. “I should have thought of this sooner,” Gregor said. He was angry with himself for not figuring it out. “The scientists have implanted us with tracking devices.”
“Wait,” I said as Igor reached for a knife he’d stolen from one of the sailors. “I don’t think you should take them out just yet.”
Luc nodded his support for my idea. “We don’t want them to know we are aware of the devices.”
“Why not?” Geordie asked, still picking at his arm.
“We should wait until we have a chance to escape from the soldiers and then destroy them,” Ishida explained. Although only a few mortal years younger than the other teen, he was many more vampire years older and wiser than Geordie.
“Oh.” Crestfallen, Geordie gave the emperor a sheepish smile. “I did not think of that.”
It was our second night of travel and we had only one more night left before we would be back in Canada again. Everyone was understandably tense but few fights broke out. We were a species on the edge of extinction and we couldn’t afford to lose any more people. As I had hoped, all prejudices had been put aside. We weren’t Europeans, Japanese and one Australian anymore. We were merely vampires trying to survive in a world that had turned against us and now wanted us dead.
Geordie seemed to pluck the thought out of my head. “I still can’t believe Sanderson turned on us after we helped him to kill the First and his horde of imps and then the Second and his fledgling army.” Technical
ly, I had been the only one to kill the First and help destroy the imps but it wasn’t worth reminding him of that fact. We were sitting on the cold metal floor of the container, surrounded by fridge walls that would act as shields in the case of gunfire. It was far from comfortable but it made us feel slightly safer than if we had been sitting out in the open.
Gregor chose to play the devil’s advocate. “If you were in their shoes, would you allow us to survive?”
Mulling over the question seriously, the teen unconsciously copied Gregor’s favourite pose of resting his chin on his fist as he thought. “I don’t know,” he finally said, clearly conflicted by the dilemma.
“I would wipe us out if I were the humans,” Ishida said almost casually. “We are far superior to them in many ways; speed, strength, stealth.”
“Sex appeal,” Geordie said then cut a glance at me and giggled. Ishida’s still heavily wrinkled face broke into a rare smile.
“What would you do, Ladybug?” Luc asked me and grinned at my sour glare at the nickname.
Like Geordie, I put some thought into it. If I were in charge of the safety of the human race, what would I do with us? It was a tough question and there was no easy answer. “I wouldn’t lock us up and torture us,” I said at last. “I’d probably do what Sanderson did with the courtiers and keep us somewhere where we could be monitored but still have some form of freedom.” I grimaced even as I said it. What kind of existence would that be? We’d be like animals in a petting zoo or fish in a bowl.
“What would you do, Gregor?” Geordie asked.
Deep in thought, Gregor smiled but it seemed almost forced. “I agree with Natalie. I would contain us where we couldn’t bother humans ever again.”
I didn’t like the sound of that, it sounded far too final. Kokoro frowned at whatever was on Gregor’s mind but didn’t venture her opinion on the topic.
