"Kato, what is it?"
"They're dead, master. They're all dead except for my brother, thank Anansi," Kato said, praising a god Ishan knew to be from Kato’s native land.
"Who?"
"There were many. The only ones my brother remembered for sure were Luciano, Eduardo, and Gabriel. Most were still fledglings. They destroyed most of the lab equipment, too."
Ishan stiffened when he heard this.
"Is the data safe?" he asked.
"I don't know. Some of the others are trying to get the backup systems online to check."
"Why would they do this?"
"They want what Peter wanted, master. They want to take action against the Empire now. They attacked us in Peter's name. They follow him now," Kato said with anger.
At the mention of Peter's name, Rachel seemed to twitch in surprise.
"Rachel, can you run with me on your shoulder if I hold on?"
"Yes," she said, distracted.
"Good."
He looked at Kato. "Kato, you take Hank."
"Yes, master," Kato said, his accent becoming more and more prominent.
Hank made a face of dread as Kato picked him up. Within a second, they were all racing toward the southern entrance of the city drainage system. Ishan tried not to notice the feelings and memories that came from holding onto Rachel's body. Now was not a time to mourn for lost love. Especially when there were more recent friendships to mourn.
* * *
Hank put all his willpower into holding the meager contents of his stomach as Kato moved like lightning. He soared through the various tunnels, swiftly changing direction with the slightest bit of effort. More than once, Hank’s hair brushed against the ceiling or some corner between tunnels. He held onto Kato tighter than he had ever held onto anything before. Within seconds of entering the tunnels, they came to a dizzying stop. It took several minutes for Hank to realize they were already back in the lab. Once he did, he wondered if it was truly the same place. It seemed only a shell of its former self. All around him bodies, blood, and broken glass littered every space. Rachel gently set Ishan down and he fell to the floor, his body shaking with the loss of many. Without lifting his head, he spoke loudly to Kato.
"Kato, have the ancestors been summoned?"
"No, master. I was waiting for your word."
"Kato, you have it. Please, call for them."
Kato nodded and was gone in a blurry flash. Ishan struggled to his feet. Seeing this, Rachel rushed forward to try and help him, but he shrugged her off of him. She backed away to give him space.
"So many good friends. All gone over nothing more than politics!"
The word echoed off the egg-shaped ceiling as if Ishan had just yelled it again behind Hank.
"Hank, come with me."
"Master, let me help you," Rachel said.
"No, I must speak with Hank alone," he said with absolute authority.
She nodded, disheartened with his continuing outburst. Ishan walked toward one of the doorways without bothering to see if Hank followed. Hank scampered to catch up with the angry vampire. The sound of many strange voices got his attention and he turned to see dozens of "ancestors" filling the room. As he backed toward the doorway, they began sinking their fangs in the bodies still strung out on the floor. Others licked the blood from the floor. His stomach turned as he crossed through the doorway. What was left of the metal door bent inward inside the hall as though it were a plastic toy bent by a young child at play. The different sounds of the strange beasts bounced off the walls as Hank tried not to notice. Ishan was a few strides ahead, walking in what Hank thought was a familiar direction. A few familiar turns later and he was sure of it. Then, the two arrived at Ishan's personal quarters. Once they were both inside, Ishan closed and locked the thick vault-like door. He gestured for Hank to sit and once he did, Ishan took the seat across from him.
"I know you are no longer willing to stay here. I understand. But you are in danger if you leave, and not just from the Empire. If Peter really was behind this attack then he will most certainly be on the lookout for you. Right now, you are a symbol of my choice to form an alliance with those humans who would oppose the Empire. Peter and his followers do not want to include your kind. They want to take on the human race as though it were the Empire itself. And I know I made a promise to escort you from the city myself. But in my present circumstances and health I am unable to do this."
Hank looked at him and knew that his own face had turned at least three shades redder when Ishan said this.
"Before you become angry, I think you will find my alternative solution most accommodating."
Hank exhaled, letting a little of the steam from his body.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Five of my strongest and smartest to lead you from the city."
Hank relaxed a little.
"That seems more than fair," Hank said.
"I also have something for you," Ishan said and got up from his chair. He turned away and walked to the opposite wall where he opened a small hidden cubby. He pulled out several long glass vials. Then, he put all but one away. The remaining vial was filled with scarlet liquid. Ishan closed the cubby and turned around to face Hank. Holding up the vial, he spoke as he looked through it, seeming to examine it.
"This vial is filled with the blood of an ancestor. It is the last of my backup stores for testing. It came from willing subjects. It should give you an advantage if you should need it. Also, I had a curious idea I wanted to try before you go which might benefit you," he said, smiling for the first time since before Hank had slept in this very room.
"I'm listening," Hank said, intrigued.
"Well, when one becomes like us, their heart eventually stops beating. Some take longer than others. It has long been a theory of mine that this could be a matter of self control. If one were to try purposely, he could make it stop or start at his command."
Hank was becoming nervous as he realized where Ishan was going with this line of thought.
"I just want you to try something. If it doesn't work, forget about it. But if it does, it could help you to hide in perfect stealth from even one of my kind."
This got Hank's attention and overpowered his hesitation.
"Okay, then, what do I do?"
"Well, first you drink, of course. Just a small drop for now. You will want to save as much as you can," Ishan said, handing the vial to Hank.
Hank took it nervously, but eagerly. The power he felt under the influence of the blood could easily be addictive and he longed to taste its metal acidity again. He tipped his head back, held the vial up over his open mouth, and with great effort, only let a small drop fall down onto his tongue. A shudder of pleasure went through his body as his senses heightened immediately.
"Now. You will want to concentrate on the sound of your heart beating."
Hank looked down as if with all these powerful senses he would be able to x-ray his own chest and see his heart. But he found it helped him focus on the steady beating within.
"Now, I want you to imagine it slowing down."
Hank obediently imagined his heart slowing. At first, nothing happened. But after a long time it began to slow and a thrill ran through his body causing his heart to pick up its pace again.
"Shit."
"Did it work?"
"Yes, but then I got excited and it sped back up."
"But that's great. Try again," he said.
Hank nodded and took a moment to attempt focusing on the beating of his heart again.
"This time, I want you to keep slowing it down until it is barely beating at all. But remember, do not get ahead of yourself and become excited again. Otherwise, you will ruin any progress you could make."
Hank tried again and it worked, at first. But once again, his pulse increased from the excitement.
"I can't do it."
"No, I think you can. But it will have to be some other time. Unless you want to wait until tomorrow evening
, I had better send you and your convoy off before the coming dawn."
"Wouldn’t it be safer for me to go during the daylight hours?"
"Between the Empire and Peter’s connections outside the city, probably not. If I had to guess, I would think you would be safer getting out of the city as fast as possible. Once daylight comes and you’re as far from here as you can get, you should be able to blend in or hide easily. And I would suggest you try not to drink the blood during the daylight hours. I'm not sure but I think it could very well cause you some damage."
Hank thought hard about this. He wondered just how safe he would be from anyone once he crossed outside the city. But he knew he had to find a way to get back to Toby even if it meant leaving the only ally he’d ever met. Maybe, once he found Toby, the two of them could manage to get passage out of the country and find asylum in another land. He daydreamt about that for a moment, wishing with every fiber of his being that it could happen, but knowing it just wasn’t that type of world.
"Okay. I guess let’s get to it then," he said, trying to convey his gratitude for all of Ishan's help.
Ishan nodded in understanding. As the two re-entered the main lab, Hank was surprised to find the room empty of bodies and debris. He looked at his reflection in what was left of one of the windows across the room. Ishan leaned against the wall behind him and began pushing buttons on an electronic panel built into the wall. Within seconds a voice came from the panel. Hank recognized it as Kato's.
"Yes, master?"
"Kato, I will be sending Mr. Evans out of the city and he will need a worthy escort. I'll need Boris, Rodney, Carlos, Yavo, and..." he paused for a moment and then an unexpected voice interrupted his silent thought.
"I would be honored, sir," Rachel said, her voice coming over the same intercom.
Ishan let go of the button on the panel for a moment. He looked torn in a way Hank hadn’t yet seen. Then he sighed and pushed the button again.
"Yes, Rachel. Would you be so honored as to lead the group?"
"Yes, sir. I would," she said.
"Good. I will need you all ready within the next fifteen minutes or so. I would prefer to see our guest safely out of the city before dawn, as I'm sure none of you would like to feel the effects of U.V. rays on your sensitive flesh?" he said with a morbid humor in his voice.
In less than five minutes by Hank's best estimate, all five of his guardian vampires were reporting for duty. He did his best not to finger the vial now hidden in his clothes. Ishan assured him, when closed, the seal could block the smell from either kind of vampire. He also made it very clear he was not to use it unless it became a matter of life or death and under no circumstances was he to let the others know he had it. It worried him at first, but he also thought Peter's rebellion was creating a paranoia within Ishan.
"Thank you," Hank said to Ishan as the group was about to begin they're journey back through the tunnels. It had been decided Boris would carry Hank and the rest of them would flank him so they could get him to the city limits as fast as possible. Ishan nodded and smiled. Then, he turned to discuss other matters with Kato and another vampire Hank didn’t know. Boris knelt down and Hank climbed onto his back, piggyback style. Then in a burst of speed unforgiving of Hank's stomach, they sped off through the tunnels like a cyclone of bodies.
Chapter 14
Withdrawals
Hank's arms slipped again as he put more strength into regaining his position on Boris's back. His legs had long ago turned to jelly from the effort of keeping them wrapped around his escort's waist. He longed for a seatbelt on this crazy roller coaster of a vampire. He didn't know which was more dizzying: the incredible speed they were moving at or the blurring sight of motion all around him. The street lights stretched into streams of different colors. He closed his eyes, trying to steady his stomach. He tried to picture Toby's face but found he couldn't bring it clearly into focus. He was angry with himself for that.
But the more he tried, the more a different face came into focus. Peter's face filled his mental screen with a dark expression. It was so vivid Hank had to open his eyes again to make it go away. His head was cocked to the right leaning against the back of Boris's thick neck. He opened his eyes just in time to see something strange. A flash of movement didn't fit the pattern he’d watched repeat itself with each revolution of vampires. It was too fast for Hank to understand, but the result was not surprising. Something seemed to block the spinning circle of vampires like a stick in the spokes of a bike wheel. In an instant, Hank found himself and his vampire steed blasted off course and headed for a large tan, brick building covered in epic graffiti. He looked around to see the other vampires flying away in random directions like bowling pins in the midst of a strike.
Just six feet from the building, Hank's stomach dropped as everything went into a streaming blur and then Boris came to a graceful yet devastating landing on his feet. Hank could feel the bricks barely graze against the bottoms of his shoes. Then Boris threw Hank's arms and legs off of him, turned, and picked him up, holding him like a baby. He ran, carrying his little bundle of joy with him to the other side of the building. Then he put Hank down on his feet, motioned for him to keep his mouth shut, and get down low. Hank did so without argument. Facing away from him, Boris crouched down into a strange position that seemed more cat-like than anything else. This was made all the more strange by Boris's bulk. He was far too huge to look so feline.
An explosion erupted somewhere on the other side of the building bringing Hank back to the reality of his situation. At the sound, Boris ran to the far side of the building to look around the corner. Hank couldn't help feeling completely vulnerable. A moment later, he heard another explosion. This one sounded much closer. In between the reverberations of the blast and realizing what it was, Boris was back in position in front of Hank, waiting for anyone to come along and dare to confront him. He heard movement to his right and saw Rachel coming swiftly around the corner, a large slash across her cheek and several other battle scars on her skin and clothes. She looked at Boris with indecision.
"It's Luciano. I think he's alone, but there is no way to be sure yet. I barely got away from him. Where are the others?" she asked, desperately circling and looking around.
"Don't know," Boris said in his thick Russian accent. She glanced at him with that same unsure expression. But before she seemed to come to a conclusion, Rodney and Yavo came running from the other side of the building. Neither of them appeared to even have a scratch on them.
"Carlos is dead," Rodney shouted. Hank recognized a deep mourning in Rodney's voice as he gave them the news. "He was drained completely."
"It was Luciano. He almost got me, too," Rachel said. "But I turned the tables on him and then he got away from me," she added. Then her expression became one of worry. "I don't think we can risk any more high-speed flanks. We had better walk mortal the rest of the way," she said. It took Hank a moment to understand this statement. "Boris, you continue to stay with Mr. Evans. Yavo, Rodney, you two and I will flank still but over a much larger radius at a mortal pace. That way, we can keep on the lookout for more distant intruders and have the advantage when they arrive," she said.
Each of the other vampires nodded when given their instructions.
Before long, Hank and Boris seemed to be alone, the others flanking so far off they couldn't be seen. The tan building seemed to be one of the last remaining buildings to mark an immediate transition into open desert and remote roadways. They walked along one of those desolate roads as Hank looked up at the stars. He was tired of looking around to see only desert, the remains of abandoned construction projects, and long weathered billboards with ancient advertisements of products, services, and places long gone.
Hank watched as shooting stars faded out over a dark horizon. Boris moved every so often, solitarily flanking Hank in shifts. At one point, Hank heard a swift movement and was surprised to find Boris behind him jumping up in the air and grabbing hold of a bat. The bat
might have been minding its own business if it weren't for the paranoid air to Hank's situation. In a single motion, Boris flung the flying critter to the ground and it landed with a loud slap and moved no more. Hank stood watching it for several minutes before Boris gestured for him to move along and then punctuated the unspoken statement with a deep grunt and a sigh.
Hank started walking again as Boris took up his next shift. As he walked, he felt in his pocket for the vial of blood. Moving it around in his fingers inside his pocket, he wondered if he could take a drink now without being noticed. He sure needed it now. But he felt an obligation to Ishan to keep his word and keep it secret. He decided to wait until Boris switched to his northern flank again. This meant he had three more flanks to go as the last included his catch of their flappy intruder during the last northern shift. He wished he’d retrieved his backpack and his machete before leaving, but he wasn't given much time to make a list of demands.
He was feeling that same growing need like an itch he couldn't scratch. Only it didn't itch, it burned like desire, but much more potent. He knew what it meant. He was becoming addicted to the stuff. He couldn't understand how such an awful substance could evoke so much emotion in him. It wasn't the power that he longed for. It was something else. Something he couldn't put his finger on. Something much deeper. He realized he was gripping the vial tightly in his pocket, on the verge of shattering it. As he loosened his grip with great effort, he heard a loud, deep shout of pain that made him jump with fright. Before Hank could say "vampire guardian angel," Boris was right in front of him, his back to him and circling closely and swiftly.
After a few minutes, Hank heard what he thought to be Yavo's voice.
"He got Rodney! He's been drained just like Carlos!" he cried. Boris seemed to be swearing under his breath in Russian.
Hank knew something was wrong when he could hear fear in the voice of a vampire. He didn't know who this Luciano fellow was but he was beginning to guess he was strong and determined to have taken out two of them so quickly. He wondered if he would make it out of this place alive. Between his diminishing hope and the deteriorating situation he was in, things were not looking good. He was really hating himself for not already taking a drink of his magic potion now that he was too closely protected to drink the stuff undetected by his guardian vampire. He worried he wouldn't get another chance. He could still hear the echoing of Rodney's last sounds in his head. But when he focused on what he could actually hear, he was deafened by the silence of it all. A faint breeze gave ambient texture to the background as Boris's movements made only the slightest patters of footsteps on the road.
Empire of Blood: A Dystopian Vampire Trilogy (Bundle, Boxset) (Plus Two Empire of Blood Short Stories) Page 12
