Musings of a Postmodern Vampire

by P. J. Day

  Lucretius opened his eyes. He stared at me with his cold, deep, blue eyes.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked, with a cackle.

  “How did you do that?” I asked.

  “Practice. How else?”

  “But I was awake...” I said, somewhat questioning my sanity.

  “So?”

  “So, you can talk to other vampires while they’re awake. What good is that?”

  “We are a warrior class, Jack. In fact, every hominid on Earth has evolved for battle,” he said. “I am the only one of my kind, that I know of, which can telepathically speak to other vampires, but you, Milton, every Jiang-Shi down there is capable of it as well; it just takes decades of practice as it took me.”

  “But what good does torturing your fellow vampires do by tapping into their brains like you just did?”

  “Not one single boar has escaped our hunting party when I was alongside the group. I can strategize a corral technique quietly. I can order other hunters to position themselves in the optimal position to spear a boar on a critical spot of its body, silently—without spooking the creatures who have themselves evolved amazing listening abilities.”

  “You mentioned every hominid on Earth has evolved for battle; what exactly do you mean by that?” I asked.

  “Humans have harnessed the ability to manipulate every resource on the planet to intimidate, maim, or kill. I’m afraid to say what they lack in longevity, they more than make up in ingenuity.”

  “What about the Ling Clan? You mentioned that they have suffered greatly due to the technological changes of modern society; aren’t they humans as well?”

  Lucretius raised his bushy, white eyebrows and stretched out a fatherly smile, all the while giving me a congratulatory nod.

  “I don’t think they are, Jack. There are Jiang-Shi, who think the Ling Clan are just a group of oafish, semi-handicapped people—inbred, which they may very well be, but not stupid. They definitely live by their own rules and aren’t deviating too much from their true nature.”

  I grabbed the newspaper he had shown me in the early morning and pointed at the slain Ling on the front page.

  “Havens looks almost exactly like this guy. Prominent brow, stocky build, muscular, large hands, wide mouths. There is something rather off about these two guys. Do they all look like this? Even the women?” I asked.

  Lucretius laughed and winced. “What you and I find attractive may not be what others find attractive.”

  “Good diplomatic answer.”

  “I have my suspicions about the Ling Clan. I think they might be descendants of another type of hominid,” he said. “Jack, have you heard of Alfred Russell Wallace?”

  “Wasn’t he in Braveheart?”

  “No. Alfred Wallace thought of evolution long before Darwin, but they published their similar theories around the same time. He lists me as one of his influences, as I wrote about the indestructibility of matter. He wrote of hybridization, and how there were some evolutionary barriers which led to speciation, or the lack of the potential of hybridization in species.”

  “Huh?” I asked, completely dumbfounded as to what Lucretius was trying to express.

  “Can an elephant and a giraffe fuck and create an eleraffe?” Lucretius quipped.

  “No, or yes, of course not—that is preposterous,” I said, with mild confusion.

  “My research into hybridization has revealed a possibility of intermingling of traits between humans, and vampires, and possibly other species of hominids that we yet don’t know of. Basically, there has been the possibility of interbreeding, which is why Guangzhou captured you, Jon, and others. They know it’s possible for humans to have vampire traits in them, and quite possibly, other hominid traits as well.”

  “Again, forgive me, Lucretius, but laymen’s terms, please.”

  “There might be half-vampires, half-humans, half-who-knows-what-else walking the planet, and I have a suspicion that the Ling Clan might contain genes that are neither human nor vampire, or contain both. But, for whatever reason, Guangzhou wants vampires.”

  “How have you come to this realization?”

  “Take for example, Kai, who, by the way, is an expert swordsman and has been able to harness ‘dream talking’ very well. He was dropped off in the forest when he was seven years old. He states to never having had fangs before being dropped off. He ate a regular human diet of roots, nuts, vegetables, and meat. Then one day, he didn’t want to eat what his mother made for him. At six years old, he was found feeding on his little brother. His family was shamed in their village for harboring a child who had been consumed by a bad spirit. They heard of us through folklore, myths, legends and abandoned him in the forest where we supposedly lived in isolation. I have a strong feeling that Kai is a hybrid.”

  I began touching my face, looking at my skin, I even wiggled my fangs with my fingers to see if they moved slightly. I ran the fingers through my hair. I lightly brushed the hair that curled in waves on my arm. I looked up at Lucretius.

  “I don’t remember my childhood. I don’t remember my past. Could I be a hybrid?”

  “Other than observable, delayed, and atavistic traits coming through later in life, I can’t make a scientific determination whether someone is a hybrid or not. You should let your mind rest, though. You should be happy to know you are more vampire than not—you are content that you’re a vampire, right?” he asked me, keeping his eyes connected to mine, hoping for the correct answer.

  I sat back down on the pillow and held my knees close together, wrapping my arms around them. I rocked back and forth, slightly. I exhaled slowly through my nose, pondering Lucretius’ question. There was something glorious and alluring about being human. They lived undisturbed throughout the world. Creative beings with purpose. They were not slaves to pleasure, generally speaking. Addiction did seem to be an undercurrent among some individuals, but for the most part, their natures were highly adapted to the world, to their world. This was their planet and these were their societies and we vampires lived in it, just like the bears, the lions, the chimps and the lowly, such as insects, viruses, and bacteria. We were playthings to them, hanging by a thread, based on their whims. Fighting, clawing, and struggling for the scraps of their excess was what every organism’s role on Earth seemed to be when paralleled to the roles of Earth’s masters: humans.

  “I don’t like what I am,” I said to Lucretius, with sorrow.

  “Our time will come, Jack,” he said, with an innate confidence. “You can’t be ashamed of what you are, ever. Humans were, at one time, in our position on this planet. They fought against the elements, against beasts, and others like them to assert themselves. They adapted to become the dominant species. As long as we are still alive and numerous, the potential is there to fight for equality.”

  He walked behind where I was sitting. I thought he was going to teach me to dream talk.

  “Is that your journal?”

  “Oh, yeah, I just write my thoughts in here,” I said, pulling out my old leather-bound journal. I remained coy about its true nature. I didn’t know how Lucretius would react to a possible cure for vampirism.

  “That’s good. You should write as much as you can about your life, your experiences. You’d be surprised how much one can learn from our past thoughts.” Lucretius crouched down and lay on his back. “Okay, you ready?” he asked.

  “Sure,” I said, lying on my back. I placed the back of my head on the hard, rough floor and closed my eyes.

  “Now, Jack, just emulate this sound. But before you do, remember to let it resonate in your sinuses, then let it flow through them without making a sound. Visualize the hollowed chambers of the front part of your skull. I’ll fall asleep shortly and you try to connect with me when you are on the cusp of sleep yourself. Play with different pitches, see if you feel or see anything.”

  Lucretius’ voice was paternally calming. It had an all-knowing cadence to it. It was one of those voices where one was tempted to
ask more and more questions, because you knew every answer would be informative or wise.

  I asked, “Why was Milton a ten-year-old boy in my dreams?”

  “Every Jiang-Shi assumes a superior form in their dream talking. The form is usually used as a way to intimidate, build trust, or infiltrate the subconscious. Milton was trying to gain your trust while being a child. Kai is a ghostly swordsman when he does it. I can be anyone at any time, but many vampires don’t have a tough time revealing their innermost thoughts to a wise old man.”

  Lucretius closed his eyes and rested his long, scraggly hair onto the floor.

  “Now, let’s try this,” he said.

  I closed my eyes and began to hum. I kept sneaking looks at Lucretius’ calm face. He kept his eyes tightly shut, and was wholly committed to sleep. I felt awkward and did my best doing different types of murmurs, drones, thrums, and purrs, some turned to snorts, one even turned to a whistle. I had no idea what I was doing. I was turning out to be a pathetic Jiang-Shi.

  Chapter Eleven

  I failed to sleep, due to Lucretius’ incessant snoring. The old man was sound asleep and looked at peace. I stood up and walked outside the temple. It was a hazy night. The smog that sometimes lingered over Guilin obscured the stars at night and gave the mountain a sickly glow against the moonlight.

  I took a seat on the stony steps and I opened my journal. I began writing in it again with one of Lucretius’ plumes. It was strange seeing the notes of my travels at the turn of the last century. I felt like an archaeologist. My English was much more formal. Television and the internet really rots one’s brain.

  Beautiful sweet Nora, the smell of fine chrysanthemum sweeps the tangles of your hair like a gyre of aromatic pleasantries fit for gods and the welcoming respite of Minerva’s ball, when all is dark, brooding, and desolate in a world where the drums of war constantly beckon the irrationality of men.

  Eh, not bad, I thought. Even then, my mind was rather disjointed and directionless. However, it seemed that I did take some time to flesh out my words. Nora was beautiful. She had dark hair and a set of beautiful hazel eyes, full lips, and a voluptuous body that was to die for. To think, I had found her in some remote village in Panama. Incredible.

  In my journal, I wrote down every discussion I’d had with Milton and Lucretius about what makes one a vampire. Havens Ling and his clan had also fascinated me. Were they human, hybrid vampires, or something else? I decided to give it a shot and drew Havens in my journal. I had to be careful how I drew him, as he possessed a large head, wide mouth, and muscular, stocky frame. He could’ve easily looked like a caricature in my notebook if I wasn’t careful.

  As I furiously recorded all my recollections with the Jiang-Shi and Lucretius, I once again heard the sound of helicopter blades in the distance. I stood up and looked over the edge of the bedrock cliff toward Guilin City. Flashing red lights began to dot the sky below. I ran down the steps and closer to the mountain edge to get a better look. I could see blades cutting through the smog-filled night sky. Two helicopters, one of them small and agile, the other large and lumbering. The large one looked like a transport helicopter. They slowed down and hovered over a large field outside the city limits. I looked west and saw a collection of headlights, bunched together in a caravan, maybe three or four cars, following closely behind one another, on the main road leading into the city. I immediately sprinted up the stairs and ran inside the temple to wake Lucretius and to warn him of the bustle below.

  I bent down and began rocking him by his right shoulder.

  “Luc, wake up. It’s important... Luc?”

  He began mumbling words while his eyes remained closed.

  “Don’t burn my books, please...”

  “Luc, wake up, dammit!”

  I stood up and walked toward the back of the temple where there was a small garden and grabbed an old wooden bucket full of water. I splashed the water over Lucretius’ head. He immediately sat up, his wet hair and beard made him resemble an old wet cat. He looked around the room in a panic.

  “Where? What? Who are you?” he asked me.

  “It’s me, Jack,” I said, looking into his baggy, misty eyes. His sleep-induced dementia was short-lived and I eventually had his full attention.

  “Come outside and look at this.”

  Lucretius rubbed his eyes and slowly lifted himself from the floor and followed me outside the temple. We stood on the temple steps and I excitedly pointed my finger to the activity below.

  “This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all,” he said. “They are preparing for a sweep.”

  “Should we alert everyone below?” I asked. “I mean, it’s almost morning; is this cause for immediate concern?”

  Lucretius pensively stared at the military maneuvering below. He knew his next words could potentially put the Jiang-Shi in unnecessary danger if they weren’t precisely calculated. We were on the cusp of morning and leading a group of vampires to an unplanned location under the glare of the morning sun was a humongous risk.

  “I don’t know if the sweep will reach our location, but it’s logical to assume that the entire district will be under surveillance.”

  “I should probably head down and alert Milton and everyone else,” I said.

  Lucretius flinched his head toward the base of the cliff as the sounds of falling rocks caught his ear. He noticed two shadowy figures climbing the ledge leading toward the temple. “Identify yourselves,” he asked loudly.

  “Luc!” Milton’s hoarse voice echoed and bounced off the side of the mountain.

  “What’s going on?” I yelled back.

  “Did you guys hear those helicopters?” yelled Milton, who was accompanied by Kai.

  Lucretius followed me down the steps. I reached the ledge between the planks and the precipice and I reached out for Milton’s hand.

  “I’m good, Jack,” he said, as he skipped onto the bedrock.

  “What are you guys doing up here?” I asked.

  “Kai went down to check on Jenny and your friends, and he couldn’t find them.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, panicked.

  “He checked the attorney’s house and the hotel they were staying at and they were nowhere to be found. Their bikes were parked outside the hotel, but no sign of them at all.”

  “We need to go down there immediately,” I pleaded.

  “Kai also found this...” Milton handed me a ledger-sized poster which had three photographs on it. Ted and Holly’s passport photos were side by side, and the third picture was a sketch of my face.

  “What does it say?” I asked, holding it up to Milton and Kai.

  “All three of you are wanted for the brazen attack on Guangzhou. It says, Approach these three with caution as they are presumed to be armed and dangerous,” Milton said, scrolling the poster in my hand with his right index finger.

  I looked away and stared down into the radiance of Guilin City. I paced the cliffside edge and motioned Milton to look toward the city. Milton saw the helicopters landed in the field alongside the other vehicles that drove up the road minutes ago.

  “They know we’re here,” he said. “What do you want to do, Luc?”

  Lucretius curled his lips to the side, entranced in deep thought, no blink to his weathered set of baggy eyes.

  “Alert everyone that we must move back to Lanshan immediately. We’ll maneuver through the hills away from the roads and use the shade to shield us from the morning sun.”

  “We are not moving to Lanshan. The cave hasn’t been cleared of all the methane that forced us out in the first place,” said Milton.

  “We have no choice,” said Lucretius.

  “Yes, we do... we fight these animals,” said Milton defiantly. “We stop being cowards and running away like freaks. I’m tired of being chased out.”

  I interrupted Milton and Lucretius’ squabble by waving both my arms in the air.

  “I need to go down there and search for them immediately.”
<
br />   “That is suicide, Jack,” said Lucretius.

  “We need to help Jenny,” said Milton.

  “I can’t leave them; they’re probably still alive. I know both of them, they’re smart enough to avoid capture if they sense something is awry.”

  “There is nothing you can do about them anymore,” said Lucretius. “You need to come with us. You have no idea what you’re going up against.”

  “Then I will find the group and we will meet you in Lanshan.”

  “Jack, we will follow you to Guilin,” said Milton.

  “This is absurd,” said Lucretius. “You will be venturing into a hostile city.”

  “We cannot keep running away,” Milton said loudly, staring up at Lucretius.

  “If we cease to exist, so will our culture,” Lucretius pleaded.

  “The Jiang-Shi were born, bred, and trained to fight. We can no longer afford to flee. They will eventually find us. This is no longer the twentieth century. We can no longer hide.”

  Lucretius had lived hundreds of years as a cursed academic, an immortal historian who had contributed much to his world, obsessed with the preservation of culture and history and with the origins of life itself. He wasn’t a warrior, but a vampire who was more concerned with history than the taste of flesh and blood. Lucretius stood silently, his wise nature contemplating the possibility of facing genocide. But he knew Milton was right. He knew that the world was becoming smaller and interconnected. He knew that the Jiang-Shi could not run forever and remain hidden in the shadows for eternity. Lucretius knew that species die and become extinct, but he also knew that fate and destiny were hapless inventions of the surrendered and those who were unwilling to adapt. He knew that if a species were to adapt, it had to fight. If vampires were to ever be selected by nature well into the twenty-first century, it would have to be done by force.

  Lucretius looked at Milton’s expressionless face and drew down his eyes.