The Foundlings: Book One of the Urban Fantasy Paranormal Vampire Series, The Foundlings

by R. M. Garcia

  “Hello, Donato,” the taller of the Indians said. His hair was wet and continually dripped water to the ground.

  “Hello, Rainchaser,” Donnie replied. He had no idea how he knew that man’s name or how he knew that the other one’s name was Windcaller. He immediately knew that they were Ani Yuntikwalaski or the thunder people of the Cherokee faith. Windcaller’s hair seemed to be perpetually moving, as if being blown by strong gusts of wind, yet the light breeze on the plain was not enough to cause this effect.

  “Welcome to the Spirit Realm,” Rainchaser said.

  “Where am I?” Donnie asked not sure he heard it correctly.

  “The Spirit Realm,” Windcaller replied, “but it is too soon.”

  “Mmm. Yes, Windcaller is right.” Rainchaser said as he grappled with Windcaller. “You must go back now.”

  “I just got here, why do I need to leave so soon?” Donnie asked.

  “You are not ready to learn what we have to teach you yet,” Windcaller replied.

  “What will I learn from you?” Donnie asked. “How do I get ready?”

  “The dark skin has much to teach you,” Rainchaser replied.

  “Now go, or your woman will be angry at you,” Windcaller said. Donnie could hear someone calling from behind him. He turned to look back and found himself opening his eyes inside the cavern.

  “Donnie, wake up, Donnie,” Abbie said. Donnie blinked a few times and then looked at Abbie. She seemed a bit distressed.

  “Hi,” Donnie said.

  “Donnie, what are you doing?” Abbie asked and pointed at Donnie. “And why are you covered in those?” Donnie looked around him and discovered that he was covered with insects, frogs, mice, and snakes. The animals were calm and began to move away slowly.

  “Don’t know,” Donnie replied as he got up. He shook off what was left of the insects in his hair and got out of the pool.

  “That was gross,” Abbie said.

  “Not really,” Donnie said. “They’re just creatures.”

  “Bugs are disgusting,” Abbie said, slightly shivering. “Blah.” Donnie smiled and removed a beetle from her hair when she wasn’t looking. Luther called out to them from outside the cave.

  “I am here. Let’s go we have to get ready for today.” Donnie got dressed and followed Abbie out of the cavern. Luther was there with another man.

  “This is farmer Matt; he takes care of the livestock above. He’s off-limits to feed on,” Luther explained. Donnie shook his hand, as did Abbie, but Abbie’s stare lingered a bit longer than necessary, and it obviously made Matt uncomfortable. She was hungry and couldn’t help herself.

  “You appear to be hungry. Let’s get you some drink,” Luther said. Luther pushed Abbie into the caverns, and Donnie followed them. Abbie looked back a few times until the farmer’s scent had left her nostrils. They reached the entry shaft and Donnie could now see that there were grooves carved into its side which allowed for climbing. They made their way up back into the barn. Once outside, Donnie and Abbie could see that there were two other Foundlings there. Luther pointed them out as they fed on the various animals in the barn. “That one feeding on the cow is Reina.” She was small, just a little taller than Abbie, but with a thinner build. She had dark skin, and long straight ebony hair. “The other one is Luc.” Luther pointed out a man feeding on a pig. Luc looked slightly older than everyone else; he seemed to be in his thirties. After everyone had completed feeding, Clara made the introductions. Luther, Reina, and Luc went outside as Clara stayed behind with Abbie and Donnie.

  “You need to feed nightly,” Clara said. “You can drink from the pigs, cows, or the horses. I suggest you try each and decide which one tastes the best to you.”

  “Ugh, I don’t think I’m ready to try the pigs yet,” Abbie said.

  “Luther recommended the horses,” Donnie said, and Clara chuckled.

  “What?” Abbie asked.

  “Luther is still being cruel. Everyone generally agrees that the horses taste the worst,” Clara explained.

  “Well, I’ll show him,” Abbie said and walked over to a horse. She petted it, and they found a good spot and bit it and began to drink. Donnie could see that she kept making a face as if she was sucking on a lemon.

  “She is quite spirited,” Clara commented to Donnie.

  “Yeah, that’s my wife,” Donnie said, smiling.

  “What will you pick, Donnie?” Clara asked.

  “None, I’m not hungry,” Donnie replied.

  “You must be hungry,” Clara said. “When is the last time you fed?” Donnie thought about it.

  “It was three nights ago.”

  “And you are not hungry at all?” Clara asked surprised.

  “Not at all,” he replied. Abbie finished feeding and rejoined Donnie and Clara.

  “OK, that was unpleasant,” Abbie said. “But it was very filling.” Clara brought out a ledger and walked over to a stable that contained a table and several wooden chairs.

  “Let’s go over some information,” Clara said, motioning for them to follow her. Clara sat down at the table, and Donnie and Abbie did the same. “Very well, training consists of three parts. When you both complete training, you will be allowed to go to the compound.”

  “How long is training?” Donnie asked.

  “It takes a few months,” Clara replied.

  “OK. So what are the three phases of training?” Abbie asked.

  “Part one is easy, we take down your info and learn about any abilities you may have and try to classify your Bloodline,” Clara said. Donnie and Abbie both nodded in understanding. “Part two is Ability training, we try and teach you some basic vampire abilities and test your limits. I will also go over vampire dos and don’ts.”

  “What do you mean by test our limits?” Abbie asked.

  “We see how strong and fast you are, and how long you can go without feeding, things along those lines,” Clara replied.

  “Why’s this necessary?” Donnie asked.

  “If you know your limits, you will be better able to survive,” Clara replied. “Don’t worry, we are not going to torture you, well not until part three.”

  “I know I’ll be sorry for asking, but what is part three?” Abbie asked.

  “Part three is the hardest. You must complete training with Luther. That will consist of three phases. He will instruct you on evasion, defense, and offense. When he gives you the green light, you can head to the compound,” Clara said just before there was a large crash against the barn wall. Donnie and Abbie knew exactly what was going on outside.

  “We understand, let’s get started,” Donnie said confidently.

  “Very good,” Clara said and began asking questions and recording the answers in her ledger. As she asked her questions, Clara was very surprised to discover that they had been vampires less than two weeks, and how far they had traveled. They relayed their story to Clara from beginning until now. Clara sat in amazement. “I don’t know anything about this Reich Bloodline, so I cannot tell you how far they are willing to go to find you,” Clara said. “But I think we can keep you hidden from them.” Donnie and Abbie felt a sense of relief at Clara’s words.

  “Thank you Clara, we just want to live in peace,” Donnie said.

  “That’s what we all want, but we aren’t given that choice,” Clara said.

  “I know why the Reich wants me, but why are the other Foundlings hunted down?” Abbie asked.

  “None of us know exactly why,” Clara answered. “All we know is that it interferes with some sort of master plan.”

  “Not much to go by,” Abbie said.

  “Almost nothing actually, but we forge on,” Clara said. Once she was satisfied with the initial questions, she began inquiring into their abilities. She noted in her ledger that they were both from the Reich Bloodline. Clara began asking about their abilities. Abbie explained about her strength and keen hearing and eyesight. Donnie went over his strength and how fast he seemed to heal.

 
“Those are fairly standard abilities for vampires,” Clara said. “Have you noticed anything really unusual, like flight or the ability to transform yourself into something else?”

  “Not me, just the strength and my senses,” Abbie said and looked at Donnie.

  “All I figured out is that I can take one hell of a beating and that I don’t need to feed as often as Abbie.”

  “Hmm, it’s not unusual, for newborns of the same Bloodline to have separate abilities granted to them by their Bloodline,” Clara said. “I am concerned about your lack of hunger. That seems quite odd to me. Most young vampires are ravenous. Once you get older, your hunger lessens and you can go longer without blood.” Donnie and Abbie looked at each other, and Clara picked up on that they were keeping something from her. “You need to be honest with me. I can’t help you adjust to your new life if you don’t let me help you.”

  “OK,” Abbie said, looking at Clara. “There was something weird that happened; something that was not supposed to be possible per my manual.”

  “You have a manual?” Clara asked extremely interested.

  “Yeah, I was given a manual by the Reich and it has some basic instructions to follow in it,” Abbie replied.

  “I would be very interested in seeing it,” Clara said.

  “I’ll go get it. It’s hidden in the truck.” Donnie ran to the truck and returned after a few minutes. Donnie handed it to Clara who began reviewing it page by page. When she was done, she placed the manual on the table.

  “This is a very well written text. I would say that it is completely accurate,” Clara said. Abbie’s eyes went wide and she looked back at Donnie.

  “I don’t know,” Donnie said. “Let’s just tell her.”

  “OK, I think it’s for the best too.” They both turned back to Clara.

  “So what was the weird thing that happened?” Clara asked.

  “Donnie can drink vampire blood,” Abbie blurted out.

  “In fact, I have only fed on vampires. When I tried to drink human blood, I almost died.” Clara’s expression changed from calm to concern.

  “To my knowledge, this is not possible,” Clara said. “In fact, I know that forcing another vampire to drink dead blood is an interrogation technique. That is how harmful it is for us. I do not understand how you can do it.”

  “Maybe it’s an ability of our Bloodline?” Donnie said. “I mean, Abbie drank some of my blood as well.” Donnie let out. Abbie backhanded his arm. Donnie looked at Abbie slightly annoyed.

  “Yeah, I did, but I can still drink human blood,” Abbie said to Donnie. “And your heart beats. It stops most of the time, but when you get excited or agitated, it starts beating again.”

  “Yeah, OK, that’s true, but your heart started beating too that night,” Donnie replied. Clara calmly watched their argument and continued to take down notes.

  “Interesting,” Clara said, interrupting the two. Donnie and Abbie looked back at Clara. “Could you demonstrate this for me?” Donnie began shaking his head.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Donnie said.

  Clara looked at Donnie calmly and asked, “Why not?” Another resounding boom broke the silence. It sounded as if a body landed on the roof and rolled off.

  “It was quite intense,” Abbie finally replied. Clara could tell something happened and that they were scared about something.

  “Then drink from me,” Clara said, extending her arm to Donnie and Abbie.

  “No,” Donnie said.

  “You don’t understand,” Abbie said. “It was quite . . . erotic.”

  “I still need to witness it, so he either drinks from you or me,” Clara said.

  “But . . . ” Abbie said.

  “But nothing, we need to fully understand what you can do, or we can’t help you and you can go on your way,” Clara said firmly.

  Donnie grabbed her arm and said, “Fine!” And he sunk his fangs into her wrist. Clara moved with the motion and placed her hand over his heart. As he fed, she could feel his heart beating.

  “Amazing,” Clara said and pulled her arm away. Donnie let her go and sat back down. Clara quickly entered the information in the journal.

  “So what’s next? Should I drink too?” Abbie asked.

  “No. I will put this down as a possible ability of your Bloodline. We don’t want to experiment with it until you get a better grasp on your other abilities first.” Luc and Reina came into the barn, carrying Luther. He was severely battered and bruised. They placed him close to a pig, and he began to feed and, after a few minutes, was able to heal his injuries.

  “They are ready. They pass,” Luther said and shook Luc’s hand and hugged Reina. “I will take them to the compound tomorrow.” Luc and Reina high-fived each other and jumped into the underground caverns.

  “That is fine. Tell them I will miss them,” Clara said.

  “How long were they here?” Donnie asked.

  “Just over five months,” Luther replied as he walked over. “Reina was hesitant to hurt anyone. I don’t think I will have that problem with you two.”

  “Bring it on, big man!” Abbie said to Luther with the meanest stare she could muster. He simply laughed and walked to the cavern entrance and jumped down.

  Over the next several weeks, Clara instructed Donnie and Abbie on all the vampire abilities that she could teach them. She was a strict instructor. A task was repeated until it was mastered. This turned out to be a brutal undertaking, as an arm or leg was broken repeatedly. She taught Abbie how to hasten her healing by focusing on it. Donnie tried to pick up the concept, but he healed so quickly that he was never able to try to implement the technique before the inflicted wound healed itself. Abbie on the other hand picked up on everything like a sponge. They determined that Abbie could force herself to go without blood for four days before she became frenzied. Donnie on the other hand went well into a month’s time before he felt even the slightest bit of hunger. Clara estimated that he could probably go months without feeding. Abbie also learned to isolate her senses and expand them. They became so sharp that she could virtually hear and see anything within a quarter mile as long as she concentrated. Donnie seemed to lack this ability; his senses seemed to be no better than a normal human.

  Clara also went over common problems that arose from being a vampire. She explained to the pair that sunlight was deadly, and how the longer they lived as a vampire, the more deadly the sun’s rays would become to them. Clara also informed them that they should avoid anything holy, and this included crosses and churches and holy ground. Donnie was a bit perplexed by this lesson as he had a different experience involving a cross. He decided not to share the info with Clara but decided he would tell Abbie after they were at the compound. Finally, she explained how no vampire could enter a home without permission and how this extended to any home, apartment, or even single room. Donnie and Abbie trained with Clara for an entire month. After Clara’s training, both Donnie and Abbie had a better understanding of their abilities and had gained a basic grasp of their strengths and weaknesses. They both felt more confident about what they could and could not do. When she believed them ready, she released them to Luther. He had been anxiously waiting for this day, as was Abbie.

  “OK, my program has three phases,” Luther spoke as he took Donnie and Abbie deep into the woods. “The first one being speed, until you pass it, you will be considered slugs.” They arrived at what looked like a military obstacle course. There were walls to climb over, pits to leap over, and other constructs that Donnie was not sure what they did. “The objective of this training is to help you get away from an executioner as fast as possible,” Luther said. “That’s always the first rule, if you are being chased by an executioner, you run and don’t look back.”

  “So you are not going to be hitting us?” Abbie asked.

  “No,” Luther replied. “I will not be hitting you at all, but don’t expect to walk away from this exercise without any injuries.”

  “T
here is no poop on this exercise right?” Abbie asked.

  “No, there isn’t. But there is lots of mud, now be quiet and just watch.” Luther walked over to a generator and started it up. A series of belts and pulleys began to swing back and forth. Luther went to the start point and pulled out a stopwatch, clicked it, and ran into the course at full speed. Donnie and Abbie watched as he ran the course. He jumped over hurdles and walls, and leaped over pits, balanced over beams, and jumped through makeshift hoops. The course looked like it was about a quarter mile long. Luther completed the semicircular course and took out his stopwatch.

  “Forty-five seconds,” he said. “Not my fastest time, but not my worst either.”

  “You were slow,” Donnie said.

  “Oh, you think you can do better?” Luther asked.

  “Yeah, I used to do this for fun,” Donnie said. “It’s called Parkour.”

  “Well, Mr. Big Mouth, please shut me up,” Luther said as he motioned to the course. Donnie took off.

  “Go, baby! You can do it!” Abbie yelled. Luther clicked the stopwatch, and followed Donnie’s movements. He used an entirely different route than Luther and completed the course in thirty-three seconds. Luther just stood there, amazed.

  “OK, you are no longer a slug. You’re now a sloth,” Luther said and then turned to Abbie, “Your turn.” Abbie got ready and entered the course. She completed the course in forty seconds.

  “Not bad,” Luther said. “Now try it at level two.”

  “How many levels are there?” Abbie asked.

  “Five,” Luther replied, smiling. Donnie shook his head and got ready to run the next level. Luther turned a knob, and everything started moving faster.