He approached the large window of the enclosure. A dim, faint light shone through the enhanced glass, painting the hallway a spooky lavender color. They had come to the end now. There was no more time to wait. No more negotiating. Starnes had ordered another blast of UV light. “Really cook her,” were his exact words. But hitting the vampire with high doses of ultraviolet radiation had failed to force her to comply. To the contrary, it seemed to have strengthened her resolve. She was very stubborn. But Goodalle had had an idea. If a high frequency, short burst of UV didn’t make her yield, perhaps a low frequency dose over a long period would do the trick.
He was reluctant to step into the lavender light pouring through the large window. The reinforced “unbreakable” glass was supposed to filter out all UV, but was it really worth taking the risk? Instead, Goodalle turned to the surveillance monitor in the control station.
The vampire laid upon the floor in the fetal position, shielding her face with her hands. Despite her efforts to block the light, her skin slowly melted like a candle set too close to the fire.
“I can make this stop,” Goodalle said, pushing the button for the intercom. “I don’t want this, you have to know that. If you’ll just help me, then all this will end.” She didn’t respond. “We have to evacuate soon. I’m sure you know that. We’re unable to take you with us, I’m afraid. The umbilicus want to feed upon you. Vampire blood is very good for them. It increases the duration between transfusions. I’d rather feed them someone else, but if you are all I have…”
The vampire lifted her head a few inches from the floor and her hair broke away from her scalp, leaving her bald. “If I give you a vampire, will you set me free?”
A rush of excitement flooded the small scientist. This was the first time the vampire had spoken to him. “I can’t make that promise.” He wasn’t sure why he didn’t just lie and say yes, but something about seeing such a powerful creature in this pitiful state brought out the honesty in him. “It’s up to General Starnes who gets set free. But I’m sure he’ll consider it…if you cooperate. I can promise, though, if you share your gift with us, the pain will stop.”
The vampire slowly climbed to her feet, her damaged skin dripping like oil just as fast as her body could regenerate it. “Shake on it.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“It’s a common modern day phrase,” the vampire said, her voice hoarse and strained. “I will make you a vampire, if you’ll turn off the sun lights.”
“You’ll make a vampire or you’ll make me a vampire?”
She shrugged. “Whichever you wish. It doesn’t matter to me. But if we have a deal, we need to shake on it.” She extended her hand toward a tiny access slot in the wall.
“Oh no. I’m not putting my hand through that hole. How do I know you won’t just rip my arm off?”
“You don’t. But how do I know that once I turn you, you won’t just kill me? We’re going to have to trust one another.”
Goodalle’s mouth turned sandpaper dry and his lips stuck to his teeth. If he were a vampire, he could kill Starnes and take over the research. He could make as many vampires as he liked, and have all eternity to recreate the Lazarus gene. He blinked away the fantasy, then pressed the special call button he kept in his pocket.
He approached the side of the containment room, typed in his passcode, and then opened the tiny access port. The vampire’s arm slid out like a moray eel awakening from slumber. He stayed just outside of her reach, keeping a hand on the remote control terminal. “If you attempt to hurt me, I’ll turn the lights up to full and leave them there until you’re nothing but a puddle of primordial ooze.” The door behind him opened and in walked his two sons. “And if I’m not fast enough to do that, my children have my permission to do with you what they choose.”
The twin umbilicus pressed against the large window, almost salivating at the thought of having the vampire’s blood.
“Only if she tries to harm me or escape,” he said to them.
“Yes, father,” they replied, their black eyes regarding him with something akin to, but not quite, love.
Goodalle brought his hand up, his pulse thrumming in his fingertips. It was exhilarating and frightful, all at once. Like sliding your hand into the open mouth of a crocodile. You know deep down that you shouldn’t do something so foolish, but the thrill of taming a fierce beast is too intoxicating to resist.
“You change me into a vampire,” Goodalle said, placing his hand in hers. “And in exchange, I’ll make sure the torture stops.”
“And you will set me free.” She closed her fingers around his hand, not with crushing force as she was capable of, but with the gentleness of a lover.
Goodalle gasped. He couldn’t help it. He was overtaken with a sudden rush of emotion. She was such a unique creature, so powerful. So wise. He saw her, not as the twisted monster the ultraviolet light had created, but as she would be when given a chance to heal. Her deep brown eyes, full of thousands of years of knowledge. Her shiny black hair. Her perfect dark skin. The thought of the pain and torment she had endured broke his heart. Tears welled in his eyes, then broke in heavy streams down his cheeks. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He loved her. Truly loved her, like no other person before. And he knew that if he freed her, he would win her love in return, and they could be together for time without end.
“Free me,” she said again, her voice penetrating his soul.
Goodalle nodded. Yes, he would free her. He would save her and take her away from this place. It was too dangerous, though. Starnes would kill him for even entertaining the thought of setting her free. And then there were his sons. They would attack her as soon as she stepped out of the door. Maybe he should have replaced the compliance chips in their brains that had been damaged by the fire of those awful vampires.
“Free me.”
Goodalle’s other hand drifted down to the keyboard on the remote terminal. Her touch had lit all the fires of his manhood. He began typing in his seven digit passcode, discerning the numbers by touch. He sensed his genetically engineered sons lurking behind him, watching with unholy fascination.
Before he could finish putting in his code, an alarm sounded, triggering flashing lights in the walls. Goodalle nearly jumped out of his skin. I’m caught, he thought. He looked about, confused and disoriented, waiting for Starnes to storm the room, gun in hand.
The umbilicus pulled him back from the access port, away from the hand of his love. “They are calling you,” one said. Goodalle nodded, but he felt groggy and disoriented.
“Goodalle,” Starnes’s voice exploded over the intercom. “Get to control. Now! We have a situation.”
“Yes sir,” he replied, stepping away from the remote terminal. The vampire pulled her hand back into the cage, and the access door closed automatically. She moved to the glass and dropped to her knees, watching him. Though it was painful to do so, he turned away. “Go hide,” he said to his sons. “Be ready if there’s trouble.”
The umbilicus obeyed without question, rushing out the door with powerful speed. Goodalle glanced over his shoulder at the vampire, her intoxicating touch still lingering in his system. He turned the dial controlling the ultraviolet light to zero. The room went dark and the vampire fell to the floor with a groan.
“Where have you been?” Starnes demanded as Goodalle entered the control room.
“I was…uh, adjusting the UV in the containment room.”
Starnes seemed partially interested. “Any change?”
“Negative. Why did you call me? What’s wrong?”
“See for yourself.” He pointed to the monitor.
It took a second for Goodalle to realize what he was seeing. The camera view was on the helipad, though it was almost unrecognizable from the wreckage of the two helicopters. Standing amidst the twisted metal and charred ruins were a woman with blonde hair down to her feet, surrounded by two men in what looked to be hooded trench coats.
Goodalle wa
s about to ask how it was possible for people to reach the helipad without a chopper, or climbing gear, when the woman raised her hand above her head. With her other hand, she pulled a dagger from some sheath hidden behind her back. She ran the sharp blade across her wrist, splitting a deep gash in her pale skin. She opened her mouth, where a set of fangs were visible, and caught the blood until the wound suddenly pulled shut.
“Vampires,” Goodalle gasped.
Starnes glance at him like he was an idiot. “What was your first clue?” He activated the intercom to the helipad. “You’re trespassing. State your business, or you will be fired upon.”
The female vampire didn’t seem frightened. In fact, she actually yawned. “It isn’t polite to threaten a stranger before you know why they have graced your doorstep. We shouldn’t start this way.”
“Who are you? Why are you here?”
“I am the vampire Heidi of the High Council to the Stewards of Life, rulers of the vampire race. I come in search of the Light Bearers Society. Your bastard creations killed two of my best Hunters, and kidnapped a vampire named Shufah.”
“Shufah,” Goodalle whispered. “So that’s her name.” It was the most glorious two syllables he had ever spoken.
“You’ve been misinformed,” Starnes said. “This is a restricted area. Leave immediately.” It clearly pained him to say this. Most of Starnes’s life had been devoted to unraveling the mysteries of this world, especially the enigma of vampires. But when three vampires show up on your doorstep unannounced, you don’t just open the door and invite them inside.
The vampire Heidi waved off Starnes’s threat like it was a polite suggestion. “My visit is not an act of aggression. My Hunters face death every day. I hold no ill will against you for killing them. And as for Shufah, she is an enemy of the High Council and a blood traitor. I come hoping that a deal might be brokered between us.”
Goodalle didn’t like the sound of this one bit.
“I’m listening,” Starnes said into the microphone.
“Wait, what?” Goodalle placed his hand over the microphone. “How do we know we can trust her?”
Starnes pushed the little scientist away from the desk. “I don’t trust anyone. But we have gotten nowhere with that other vampire. Do you want to start over from scratch? Cause I don’t. We’re out of time. This is our last option.” Heidi stood looking up into the camera, smiling as if she had overheard the whole conversation. Starnes cued the intercom. “Tell me what you have it mind.”
“This is no way to conduct business,” she said. “I have a proposition that I believe is beneficial to us both. Let us in so that we can discuss it face to face.”
“That’s a bad idea,” Goodalle said.
“I’ll take it under advisement,” Starnes said through gritted teeth. He pulled the microphone to his mouth. “Hold tight. We’re coming up to escort you in.”
“Don’t make us wait too long,” Heidi said with a smile more dangerous than mischievous. “The sun is coming, and I’ll be gone an hour before that, along with my offer.”
“I understand. We’re on our way.” Starnes grabbed Goodalle by the shirt and jerked him close. His breath stank of coffee and cigarettes. “Can your mutant children handle these vampires if this deal goes south?” Goodalle wasn’t sure how to answer that. Too many variables. Starnes, not liking Goodalle’s hesitation, shook the tiny scientist. “Answer me!”
“I… I don’t know. The umbilicus seem to grow stronger every day. They killed the two vampires with no trouble and captured Shu…uh, the other vampire easily enough. But who’s to say how old or powerful this Heidi is? She may have gifts similar to Lazarus. Don’t let them in. Tell them to come back tomorrow night. By then, we can formulate a plan to trap them. Perhaps we can take them with us when we relocate.”
“Relocate?” Starnes said with a smoky laugh. “Once the US government finds out that General Pleasant has been declared missing, the collective eye will focus on us. There’s nowhere we can go they won’t find us. The only relocation we’ll get is beneath a headstone.”
Goodalle didn’t know what to say. How did this happen? One day, he was the foremost geneticist in all the world, the next, he’s a fugitive from his own country and keeping company with monsters and myths.
“Just go get your hideous children and meet me at the entrance to the helipad.” Starnes shoved Goodalle back and he nearly flipped backward over a chair. “Now!”
Goodalle ran out of the room, fearful of not only the film of madness that glazed Starnes eyes, but also the pistol strapped to his thigh. Goodalle could have summoned the umbilicus to him with the remote in his pocket, but he wanted to make a little stop first.
He eased past the large window, watching for Shufah, but she was hidden in the darkness. He typed his passcode onto the keyboard of the control station. He pulled up the Emergency Protocols file from the secure hard drive. This next step necessitated a swipe of his ID card, but then it was done. Nothing like what it seems in the movies.
“What are you doing?” Shufah’s soft voice asked. She sounded better already.
“I’m disengaging the containment locks,” he said, still typing on the computer.
“That will open the door to this room?” The gentle tone of her voice was enough to make him want to weep. He didn’t know why he was doing any of this. He didn’t feel at all himself. His hands moved across the keyboard and touch screen terminal, but it was as if someone else was manipulating them. All he knew was, he couldn’t let Shufah die. Not at the hands of Starnes, or the vampire Heidi, or even his own creations.
“Yes,” he answered, “but unfortunately, it’s not as simple as you think. I can’t just open the doors without setting off the alarm. I’m removing power to the locks, but the emergency backup batteries will continue to power the electromagnets for another twelve hours. I’m deactivating all primary alert systems.” A wriggling knot of worms nested in his stomach as he proceeded. By doing so, he was rendering the proximity sensors useless. The mechanical defenses were still intact, so the chance of an enemy breeching Purgatory was still pretty slim. “There will be no notifications that the batteries are draining. However, sixty seconds prior to failure of the electromagnetic locks, the secondary containment siren will sound. There’s nothing I can to do to deactivate it. I’m sorry.”
“You’ve done well,” Shufah said. “Thank you.”
“When the alarm sounds, there will be a lot of confusion. Count to sixty, then hit the door as hard as you can. Once you’re out, you’re on your own.” He stepped up to the glass. “Be careful. The umbilicus may come for you. I’ll try to stop them, but I’m not sure they will listen.”
Shufah appeared on the other side of the glass. Her skin had already healed and a fine stubble of hair had returned to her scalp. She pressed her hands to the window, and though it seemed cheesy, he did the same. He stared, for a long moment, into her deep, brown eyes, and the strange thing was, he didn’t feel afraid anymore. He had been frightened pretty much since childhood. Afraid of the dark. Afraid of displeasing his parents. Afraid of failure. Afraid of women, of Starnes, of the vampires, and even his own creations. For the first time in all his life, he felt at peace. Even the thought of dying didn’t scare him anymore.
Goodalle peeled himself away from the glass. He couldn’t stay here. It would raise suspicions. He needed to get the umbilicus in place. “Oh, one more thing,” he said, stopping at the exit. “There is a vampire named Heidi here. I don’t think she likes you very much.” Shufah didn’t answer him, but he didn’t like the look on her face.
Starnes was waiting for him when he stepped through the door of the hangar to the helipad. “Where have you been? What took so long?”
“I had to find the umbilicus. They are in place.”
Starnes looked about nervously. He leaned in close. “I want those things reined in, do you understand me? No matter what happens after tonight, I want them euthanized. They are an abomination, and I want the
m terminated.”
That just wasn’t going to happen. Not only did Goodalle not know how to kill his own creations, he doubted very much that it could even be done. They had come from the blood of Lazarus, and he’d been indestructible. Not only that, they had surely heard Starnes’s words, even though he whispered. They were biding their time here, for reasons only they could understand, but when they felt threatened, they would kill anything in their path. Starnes was a dead man and he didn’t even know it.
“I understand,” Goodalle said. “Where are the guys with guns? Don’t tell me you’re going to open that door without any protection.”
“There are two snipers in the catwalk.” Starnes motioned upwards with his head. Goodalle couldn’t see them, but he believed they were there…unless the umbilicus needed fresh blood. “The rest of my men, few as they are, are positioned throughout the compound, ready to deal some damage, if need be. Are you ready to open the door?”
“No,” Goodalle said flatly.
“Yeah, me either.” Starnes hit the switch and the automatic door began winding open. The cold mountain air rushed in like an invading army and stabbed at Goodalle with swords forged of ice. The door continued along on its horizontal track, but the only thing that entered was the wind. “Where are they?” Starnes said, raising his voice above the howling air.
“Maybe we waited too long. Dawn’s still a few hours away, but maybe they had to take shelter from the sun.”
“Another few minutes,” Heidi said as she strolled inside, “and we would have. It isn’t polite to keep a lady waiting.” The two men in trench coats stepped up behind her. One was a Japanese man with piercing eyes and a deep scar down his cheek. The other was a shorter, almost dumpy black man. Both men were as menacing as Heidi was beautiful.
“My apologies,” Starnes said. “We had to take certain precautions before letting you in. You understand.”
“Of course,” Heidi said. She glanced over her shoulder. “It’s okay for you to close the door now. Or are you expecting more company?”
Perpetual Creatures, Volumes 1-3: A Vampire and Ghost Thriller Series Page 81
