by R. M. Garcia
“I hope so,” Donnie said as he entered it into the GPS in the truck. “It’s about twenty miles outside of town.”
“Let’s go!” Abbie got into the truck, and they headed out of town and drove toward the little blip on the GPS screen. After about fifteen minutes, they had reached the coordinates, but there was nothing around for miles.
“Well, we’re in the middle of nowhere,” Donnie said.
“This is showing up as the right address, there has to be something, keep going,” Abbie urged. As they drove, a mailbox came into view and next to it was a dirt road that led off the main road.
“There,” Abbie said, pointing at the dirt road.
“All right.” Donnie turned off the road and began driving down it. The road went on for over five more miles, before they saw anything.
“Do you see that?” Donnie asked.
“Yeah, it looks like a barn,” Abbie replied. Donnie pulled up to the barn and stopped the truck. They looked around before exiting the vehicle. The only thing around was an isolated barn and a small cottage nearby.
“Hello!” Donnie yelled. “Anyone here!?” After a few nervous minutes, a tall black man walked out from within the barn.
“What are you?” the man asked.
“We’re Donnie and Abbie. We were told to come here,” Abbie said, holding up the note.
“Who are you?” Donnie asked.
“Name is Luther,” he replied. “I’ll ask you one again. What are you?”
“What are you talking about? We already told you,” Donnie replied. “We were told to come here.”
“What are you?” Luther asked as he began walking toward them.
“Dude, seriously, what is your prob . . .” Donnie was interrupted when Luther performed a jumping side kick and sent him flying back. He landed in a muddy pit about fifty feet back.
“Donnie!” Abbie said as she turned to go to him, but Luther grabbed her.
“Where are you going little girl?” Luther said, baring his fangs evilly. “I’m not done with you.” Luther hurled her in the opposite direction into the barn wall. She hit the wall near its top and slid to the ground, landing in a pile of lumber. Donnie recovered from his attack and rushed to Luther. He charged Luther and took a wild swing at him. Luther ducked under the swing easily; he then sidestepped and positioned himself behind Donnie, they were now standing back to back. Donnie was surprised when Luther grabbed a hold of him.
“Slow and sloppy,” Luther said. He reached over his own shoulders with both arms and got a firm grip on Donnie’s head. Donnie’s world went upside down as Luther pulled him over his back and slammed him face first into the ground at his feet. Donnie tried to get up, but his efforts were only met with Luther’s size twelve boot. This kick to the face sent Donnie flying once again, he landed in the same mud pit as before. Abbie got up, grabbed a plank, and ran at Luther. She began swinging the four by four at Luther, but he dodged and ducked every swing Abbie attempted.
“Someone your size should try to get in close, use your size, and take away my reach and strength advantage,” Luther instructed. Donnie got up and could see Abbie fighting Luther. He cursed under his breath and ran at the large man once again. “The problem with using weapons you are not trained in is . . . ” Luther said as he snatched the makeshift club away from Abbie after one of her wild swings “that it can easily be used against you.” Luther sidestepped Donnie’s haymaker effortlessly. He had not even been looking in Donnie’s direction. Luther swung and hit Donnie with the solid piece of wood under his chin. It exploded into a thousand splinters as Donnie was lifted high into the air. “It’s a home run, the crowd goes wild!” Donnie was launched high up into the sky, and as the ground approached him, he cursed under his breath yet again. He landed in the same mud pit for a third time. Abbie watched stunned as Donnie went skyward. “Never lose focus or stop pressing the attack,” Luther said as he grabbed hold of Abbie’s hair.
“Ow, ow!” She cried out as Luther spun and threw her, no different than a hammer throw, back into the barn wall. That throw hurt considerably more, as in addition to the impact, she slid down the barn wall again.
“Come on!” Luther yelled as he threw his arms into the air in exasperation. “What are you?” Donnie got up and ran around Luther and reached Abbie. He helped her get out from under the pile of plywood she had again had landed in.
“I have splinters everywhere,” Abbie said bitterly.
“I think I ate something foul,” Donnie replied.
“Should we run?” she asked.
“I’ll catch you,” Luther said. “You need to deal with me first.”
“What the hell is this?” Donnie asked.
“I don’t know, but he’s toying with us,” Abbie replied.
“Let’s take him together,” Donnie said.
“Good plan,” Luther said.
“Spread out and let’s hit him at once,” Abbie said.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Luther said.
“Shut up already!” Donnie yelled. Luther laughed at them. They moved up cautiously and spread out to stand on either side of him.
Donnie yelled and they charged him simultaneously, “Now!” Luther jumped about twenty feet straight up. Donnie and Abbie crashed into one another and fell onto the ground into a jumbled mess. Luther landed and grabbed Donnie and Abbie by their necks and hoisted them up. He slammed their heads together violently. It was enough of a blow that both their heads split open.
“Let’s try something different, shall we?” Luther said to them as they were momentarily stunned. With a single spinning motion, he threw Donnie into the barn wall and Abbie into the mud pit.
“What are you?” Luther asked again. Donnie was getting angry.
“There is crap in this mud, so gross!” Abbie said. Donnie started thinking. Luther’s hearing was good, but was it as good as Abbie’s?
“Abbie, if you can hear me, charge him. But before you reach him, stop and jump back,” Donnie said in a barely audible whisper. Donnie saw her nod and she bolted out of the mud and ran toward Luther at full speed. Luther prepared to defend against her, but did as she was supposed to and jumped back before reaching him.
“A feint, very good,” Luther said as he performed a backhanded swing behind him. He had expected Donnie to be there, but his swing hit nothing but air. Luther looked left and right, but Donnie was gone. When he finally decided to look up, it was too late. The trajectory and force required to land on the right spot had been child’s play for Donnie to calculate.
“Skyhook!” yelled Donnie as he landed right on top of Luther. The two fell to the ground hard and Donnie managed to grapple Luther in a bear hug from behind. Luther stood up, easily supporting Donnie’s weight.
“Very good, let’s see if you can hold on,” Luther said. “I’m very . . . ” Luther began to say before he doubled over. Abbie continued ramming her fists into his groin repeatedly. Her blows alone forced him to the ground.
“Is this close in enough for you asshole?” she yelled as he continued to rain punches and kicks on Luther.
“Quite . . . ugh . . . good . . . ugh . . . but . . . ugh . . . not . . . ugh . . . good . . . ugh . . . enough ugh,” Luther said. Even as he lay on his side with Donnie immobilizing his arms, Luther was still formidable opponent. He brought his leg over and swept Abbie’s feet out from under her, and in a split second after she herself hit the ground, he kicked her with enough force that she left a trench of dirt and grass. Donnie watched as she disappeared into the darkness and was followed by a splashing sound.
“Damn it!” Abbie cried from the mud pit.
“You are such a prick,” Donnie said to Luther.
“Well, this prick is about to break your hold and throw you back into the wood pile,” Luther began exerting force to break free, but Donnie held him fast. The more Luther struggled, the more Donnie increased his own strength.
“Your ass is mine now,” Donnie said.
“We will see about th
at!” Luther said and flexed his muscles to their limits. His efforts did nothing to make Donnie relinquish his hold.
“My turn,” Donnie said and he began to squeeze as hard as he could. Like a python crushing its prey, he began to hear bones snap inside Luther’s massive frame.
Luther grimaced and when he could no longer hold back, screamed, “Arrghh!”
“Time to die, not bad for a pair of Foundlings,” Donnie said as he bared his fangs and prepared to sink them into Luther’s exposed neck.
“You pass,” Luther uttered in agony. Donnie paused for a moment, not sure what he meant.
“What?” Donnie asked.
“What are you?” Luther asked again.
“Foundlings,” Donnie said unsure.
“Great, now please let me go,” Luther begged. Abbie ran up and reassumed her ass-kicking duties and continued to stomp on Luther mercilessly.
“Enough!” a voice said from the barn. Abbie looked over and could see a young black woman come out of the barn. She appeared to be no older than seventeen. “Please let him go. He won’t attack you again. You have my word.” Donnie let Luther go, but Abbie continued to kick him.
“Please stop kicking him too,” the young girl said. Abbie delivered one last junk shot and stood next to Donnie and crossed her arms. She was pissed!
“I have feces in my hair and under my nails and who knows where else,” Abbie said lividly.
“What the hell was all this about?” Donnie demanded. “We came here for help, not a beating.”
“I’m sorry, but we had to be sure,” the girl said. “Sometimes they send spies among us.”
“Who send spies?” Abbie asked.
“The Adored,” the girl replied.
“Who are the Adored?” Donnie asked while Abbie fumed.
“They are the Bloodline that controls this part of Canada,” the girl said. “They have tried to infiltrate us before.”
“But why use poop?” Abbie asked still upset.
“I’m sorry for the mistreatment, but we had to test your fighting skills,” the girl said. “Spies are very well trained in the fighting arts.” Luther got up, his body looked completely healed.
“Yeah, the pigs like to cool off in the mud,” Luther said.
“Even better,” Abbie screamed. “Pig poop!” She punched Luther in his groin again, forcing him to fall over instantly.
“Abbie, stop it please. We need their help,” Donnie pleaded.
“My name is Clara,” the girl said as she walked over to Luther and helped him back up. “If you want our help, you’re welcome to stay.”
“Oh, she caught me completely by surprise,” Luther said as he got up. “That’s not easy to do.” Luther took a wide berth around Abbie. Donnie found it comical that this huge vampire was tiptoeing around Abbie.
“Abbie, is it, please calm down,” Clara said. “We want to help you.” Abbie was still furious, but felt her anger and tension wash away. She immediately felt that she could trust Clara. Donnie too was now quite calm.
“Tell me you have a shower and a lot of soap,” Abbie said to Clara.
“Yes, of course,” Clara said as she guided Abbie inside the barn.
“I better get her bag,” Donnie said.
“I’ll help you,” Luther said. “She’s madder than a hornet right now.”
“Too late, she’s inside among you now. Don’t worry, once she gets clean, she will calm down,” Donnie said as he opened the back on the truck and grabbed their bags.
“Do you have any idea what Bloodline you are from?” Luther asked. “You’re incredibly strong. I have never met anyone stronger than me, and I couldn’t borrow.”
“Borrow what?” Donnie asked.
“Never mind that for now,” he said. Donnie didn’t think any further on it.
“Abbie and I are from the Reich Bloodline,” Donnie replied.
“I haven’t had any run-ins with them, but now I know that strength is one of your Bloodlines’ attributes,” Luther said as he walked Donnie into the barn. “I have never been pinned down like that before and never had anyone Abbie’s size topple me so easily.”
“Yeah, that seems right.” Donnie said. “I have only encountered one other Reich besides Abbie, and he dropped a car on me.”
“I can do that,” Luther said.
“Can you do it ten times?” Donnie asked.
“Wow,” Luther said. He was not so impressed with the act of the lifting the car as much as the fact that Donnie had taken the shots and was still alive. The two continued to walk and when they reached the barn entrance, Donnie looked inside confused. It was filled with livestock. Cows, pigs, chickens, and horses were all visible.
“Are you hungry? I recommend the horses,” Luther said.
“You feed off animals?”
“Yeah, human blood is rare around here, until you get to go to the compound,” Luther said as he opened a trapdoor and motioned Donnie in. “It’s a long drop.” Donnie jumped down and fell about fifty feet, he was again surprised by the fact that he landed with ease. The area underneath the barn looked like an old mine. It had narrow passageways and had light fixtures about every ten feet. Luther landed next to him with a loud thud.
“What’s the compound?” Donnie asked.
“This is just a staging area, an outpost per say,” Luther answered as they walked through the corridors. “Once you’re ready, we send you to the compound. The compound consists of a bunch of humans who prefer to live off the land and make money by felling trees. We chop them down and load them onto the truck; they drive the load down and sell it.”
“In turn you get blood?” Donnie asked.
“Exactly,” Luther replied. They reached a larger chamber and Donnie could hear water running. That was a natural cavern with an underground river running through it.
“How did you find this place? Donnie asked.
“About one hundred and fifty years ago, a Foundling named Espee found it and set up this hiding place for other Foundlings,” Luther replied. “They built the barn over it.”
“Yeah, Gaston mentioned her,” Donnie said.
“First rule, if things go badly, run,” Luther said, “second rule, try to find one of the guardians.”
“OK, but you are going to have to give me a little more,” Donnie said.
“There are currently twelve guardians. Foundling leaders who lead twelve separate Foundling dens. This is one; Gaston’s Easy Street is another. There is one set up in Miami, and there is another one in California.”
“So what about the other eight dens, where are they?” Donnie asked.
“They’re overseas and will be virtually impossible for one of us to reach, if we could even get over there,” Luther answered.
“Well, this is better than I had expected,” Donnie said.
“Listen, we live in constant fear. We can’t relax our guard one bit,” Luther said. “Every time we set one up, another one seems to go down. We lost two this year alone, over thirty Foundlings killed along with their guardians,” Luther said angrily.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“It’s not your fault,” Luther said. “Just keep your guard up.”
“I will,” Donnie assured.
“Damn straight you will!” Luther said. “I’ll make sure of that.” Clara walked up to Luther and Donnie. Luther hugged her warmly and then walked off.
“Please follow me, Donald,” Clara said.
“Donnie is actually short for Donato, not Donald. Just call me Donnie,” he said as he walked along Clara’s side.
“My apologies, your name is Latin, correct?”
“Yeah, most people think it is Italian.”
“It is a very nice name.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
“Tomorrow, we start your training.”
“Why so soon, we have questions?”
“The sooner I can get you ready, the sooner you can go to the compound,” Clara said. “It’s the safest place
for you.”
“I still have a lot of questions.”
“I have lots of answers.”
“Your wife is waiting for you beyond this cavern. There is a mattress you can use to sleep on,” Clara said, motioning to a lit area down a hall.
“Great! Is Luther your husband?” Donnie asked. Clara smiled warmly.
“No. He is my son.”
“Oh, you made him into a vampire?”
“No,” Clara said still smiling. “Not at all, I had him when I was thirteen. I was killed by a vampire, and I rose as a Foundling. Years later, the same fate befell my beloved child.”
Donnie stood there shocked. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s absolutely nothing to apologize for,” Clara said. “Wash yourself, and we will see you tomorrow night.”
“Thank you.”
“I doubt you will be saying that tomorrow,” Clara said, smiling. “Training under Luther is grueling.” Clara walked away and disappeared down a hall. Donnie walked through the cavern mouth to find a small waterfall and Abbie bathing underneath it. The water ran down her beautiful naked body, and she looked as if she was glowing. The water sparkled in brilliant golden colors.
“Hey, handsome,” Abbie said. “Care to join me?” Donnie smiled as he undressed and joined his beloved for a dip.
CHAPTER 27
Training
DONNIE WOKE A few hours before dusk and found Abbie still sleeping. The nearby cascading waterfall had made for a peasant rest. The naturally resonating sounds of the cavern had made him feel very peaceful, and this was something he had lacked in the last few days. He decided against exploring the caverns and shafts, it had been like a maze to navigate to this spot, and he didn’t want to leave Abbie alone. She didn’t like to wake up alone. Donnie waded into the shallow waters of the nearby pool. The water was cold, yet refreshing. Donnie decided to sit in the pool and pray. He gave thanks to God for watching over both of them, and he gave thanks to The Great Spirit for showing them the way to this place. The very earth and water seemed to communicate to him. He felt a strange connection to the environment itself. He found himself entering a trance-like state, suddenly; he was transported onto a vast and green plain with the sun high in the sky. Donnie looked around but could see no one, yet he could hear laughing nearby. Donnie began moving toward the laughter and after walking over a small hill, found a pair of men wrestling. They were clearly American Indians, wearing animal skins and leathers, each with long black hair. They were enjoying a wrestling match; they were having a great time, testing their skills against each another. Donnie watched and smiled. They began speaking to him as they wrestled.
