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

by R. M. Garcia

  “But we have orders to capture . . .” one of the Bretons began to say.

  “Silence,” Samantha yelled. “Burn it all down! We will blame the Reich for this extermination being a failure.” All of the Bretons turned to face Tranquility and started holding hands once again. The downpour raced northward as Donnie concentrated. Abbie watched as he began to falter and almost fell forward. Abbie caught him in her arms, but he continued to concentrate.

  “Donnie, what are you doing?” Abbie asked.

  “Just watch,” Donnie said, straining. His face turned from calm to a face of pain. Whatever he was doing, it was greatly concerning Abbie.

  “This is too much for you, Donnie, you need to stop!” Abbie yelled.

  “Too late now,” Donnie replied. “If I stop now, I will lose control of it.”

  “Lose control of what?” she asked.

  “The hurricane,” Donnie replied.

  “Are you serious?” Abbie said and looked around. The winds were indeed blowing in a circular pattern. Tranquility was in the eye of the storm, but everywhere else the storm was raging. Abbie was amazed that he was doing this. But then a realization came to her. “What happens if you lose control?”

  “The storm will move and destroy Tranquility and everyone inside,” Donnie replied. Abbie panicked when Donnie started bleeding.

  “Donnie, you’re bleeding,” Abbie said as blood started to pour out of Donnie’s ears, nose, and eyes at an alarming rate.

  “I know. It’s getting harder to hold it,” he replied. “I just need a little longer.” He looked over the battlefield; the combatants had stopped fighting as their attentions were drawn to the sky swirling above. Maxwell rode to the men and rallied them around him. The Adored were forced to assume their physical forms due to the winds and joined the ranks of the Reich. There was a clear division between factions now.

  “Abbie, I love you,” Donnie said.

  “I love you too, Donnie,” Abbie said frightened.

  “This ends now,” he said and let out a horrendous yell. He contorted and stiffened in obvious pain. Abbie held him close. His yell echoed through the forest and then suddenly stopped. “One.”

  The sky lit up, and for a moment, it was as bright as day. Hundreds of lightning bolts came down in unison. Abbie’s hair began floating up as electricity filled the air. One bolt came down for every enemy vampire. Abbie watched in awe as the Bretons were stuck first. The children were incinerated instantly, then the Adored, and finally the Reich. The only survivors from the initial strike were a handful of Reich. Frieda had almost reached her transport when it was struck by four bolts of lighting and exploded. She watched as a similar fate occurred to every other transport. She gripped her radio to report when a bolt fried her. She was driven to the ground by the force and seared by the intense heat. If it had not been for die Mauer, she would have been incinerated. She was defenseless now. Frieda tried to use her radio but that too was fried. Hans looked out on to the lake and could see the edge of the hurricane. He spotted other things on the lake that were approaching. He took several steps onto the dock to make them out better.

  “Water spouts?” Hans said and turned back to Luther. “Who is doing this?” Luther laughed as the rain fell on him.

  “Answer me! Who is . . . ?” Hans’s question was cut short when a bolt of lightning struck him down. Luther sat up and was surprised to see Hans still intact. He was on one knee and half of his body seemed to be back to its normal color. Luther watched as Hans concentrated and reformed his wall.

  “As I was saying,” Hans said as he rose. “Who is doing this?” For the first time, Luther was truly afraid of the man before him. He began walking toward Luther.

  Donnie was now limp in Abbie’s arms. He did not have the strength to stand so she held him up. “Donnie, how much more can you take?” she asked.

  “Two,” Donnie said. Frieda felt the air electrify around her and she leaped out of the way of the bolt a split second before it would have hit her. She got up and ran headlong into the hurricane. She figured her chances were better in the storm than under the thunder clouds. The winds picked her up and began thrashing her about. She was pulled deeper and deeper into the cyclone. The remaining members of the Reich were each struck a second time and vaporized.

  Hans moved menacingly toward Luther. “You will give me the answers I seek,” he demanded.

  “They are coming closer,” Luther said. “And they are coming for you.”

  “Then I will have the satisfaction of destroying you,” Hans said, then looked up as a second bolt of lightning stuck him down.

  Luther got up and walked over to Hans. “Hard to concentrate when you are sucking on one-hundred-thousand volts, isn’t it?”

  “I will destroy you,” Hans said weakly. His Wall was broken, and he was now covered with third-degree burns all over his body as he lay face first on the dock. Luther walked over and picked him up and carried him to the edge of the dock.

  “I’ll say it again, I win,” said Luther and he tossed Hans into the water spout that was now ten feet away. It hungrily sucked him in, turned, and raced into the hurricane’s inner edge.

  “Three,” Donnie said and collapsed. The rain and the hurricane dissipated within minutes. Abbie carried Donnie down into Tranquility and called out for help. Captain Maxwell rode out on his horse and took Donnie from Abbie and helped her mount on his horse and rode them all to the council hall. In the end, over two hundred Foundlings and over six hundred humans had given their life in defense of Tranquility. It was a bittersweet victory. So many friends and family were now gone, but it had been the first time that anyone could remember that a den withstood an attack by executioners.

  CHAPTER 32

  Miami

  DONNIE FOUND HIMSELF on an endless plain once more. The grass was gently blowing and somehow it looked familiar. He started walking toward a small hill. As he got closer, he could hear voices speaking. Donnie got down and crawled on his belly until he could see over the hill. On the other side, he found some familiar faces and a few he had never seen before.

  “We almost lost him.” Rainchaser said.

  “Mmm, I know, he pushed himself too far,” Windcaller replied. Donnie watched as four Native Americans sat around a fire and spoke. Three of them were male and one was female, and he somehow knew all their names.

  “He needs to be trained,” Morning Light said. She was simply beautiful. She had long green hair, and had several animals sitting near her.

  “I agree, if he does it again and we lose him, we will have to start all over,” Thunder Step replied. This man was much larger than the others sitting around the fire. If he were to stand, he would have easily been over eight feet tall.

  “He has come very far in a short time,” Rainchaser said.

  “Mmm, he lacks control,” Windcaller said.

  “He is being pushed too fast,” Thunder Step said. “I should train him first. That will make him deadlier.”

  “I disagree. It should be I who goes first,” Morning Light said. “If he forgets, why he is doing this? We will lose him, just like the first one.”

  “He has shown the strongest aptitude with me,” Rainchaser said. “I should go first.”

  “Mmm, he has shown equal aptitude with me,” Windcaller said. “Perhaps, I should be first.” Donnie continued to listen to the conversation when a voice began speaking to him.

  “It will be a while before they come to an agreement,” Shadow Walker said. Donnie was startled by the man lying next to him. Shadow Walker was completely black; he looked like a shadow in every way, except for his eyes which were a deep blue. Donnie should have felt fear at this apparition, but for some unknown reason, he did not feel at all threatened. “They haven’t even realized that you are back in the Spirit Realm.”

  “What are they talking about?” Donnie asked.

  “You, they are busy trying to determine your fate,” Shadow Walker replied.

  “Don’t I get a choic
e?” Donnie asked. Shadow Walker paused for a moment and then turned to Donnie.

  “They have plans for you,” Shadow Walker said. “But you should have a choice.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You are not meant to, at least not yet,” Shadow Walker replied.

  “So what do I do now?”

  “Pick one and tell them you wish to train with them,” Shadow Walker said. “We all have something to teach you.”

  “Then I choose you,” he said. “You have been the most honest with me so far.”

  “It cannot be me,” Shadow Walker said. “I must be last.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “It’s too soon to explain,” Shadow Walker said smiling. “You will have to be patient.”

  “So what is this place?”

  “Very well, since you just continue slipping back in here without reason, I will tell you,” Shadow Walker began. “In this incarnation, this place is called the Eternal Plains.”

  “I see that, but what is this place?”

  “This place is where our people go to when they are lost after death. They can spend seconds, minutes, hours, or even years, wandering around until they find the path that leads them to the Happy Hunting Grounds.”

  “Really, so how’s it that I am here?”

  “You are both dead and alive,” Shadow Walker said. “With practice and training, you will be able to slip in and out at will.”

  “Doesn’t seem very useful,” he replied, Shadow Walker smiled.

  “It will become clear soon enough,” Shadow Walker said. “We should really let them know we are here.”

  “No,” he said. “I want you to train me first.”

  “What I have to teach you will only distract you at this point,” Shadow Walker said. “But the others could argue for decades and resolve nothing. Fine, come with me.”

  “So you are going to train me?” he asked as he and Shadow Walker began walking across the plains.

  “No, but I will help you in other ways,” Shadow Walker said. “So tell me what you know so far?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What can you do?”

  “Oh, uhm, I can make it rain and summon windstorms and call down lightning,” he replied. “I can enter the Eternal Plains? I am strong, and I heal really fast.”

  “Is that all?” Shadow Walker asked.

  “Well, yeah, I think, but I can’t make it rain or windy all the time, only sometimes. Once it’s raining, calling down lighting hurts really bad, but I can do it.”

  “With proper training, you will be able to do them at will,” Shadow Walker said. “You can perform feats in each one of your states.”

  “What do you mean by states?” he asked.

  “You have three basic states. When you are agitated, the storms are easier to call, correct?” Shadow Walker asked.

  “I never made that connection but now that you mention it, yes.”

  “Then there is your normal state or passive,” Shadow Walker said. “Your healing is increased in this state. The more agitated you are, the slower you heal, so you need to stay calm in tense situations when you need to heal.”

  “That is kind of hard to do,” he said. “But I will try.”

  “Last, is your calm state,” Shadow Walker said. “Calm you heart and open yourself. Once you are calm, you can slip back here, as well as other things.”

  “What other things?” Donnie asked.

  “Just open your senses,” Shadow Walker said. “Enough training for now, it’s time for you go to back.”

  “Training, what training?” he asked. “I have so many questions.”

  “I promise I will answer them all,” Shadow Walker said. “For now, focus on getting better.”

  “Why do I have to leave so soon?” he asked.

  “You have only been here a short while, but you have been asleep much longer,” Shadow Walker replied.

  “Asleep, how long?” he asked.

  “Months,” Shadow Walker replied.

  “What?” Donnie said alarmed. “What about Abbie?”

  “This is why I need to train you,” Shadow Walker said. “You can spend years here and pass just a few moments in the living world, but if you enter the wrong way, you can spend moments here but years on the outside. So unless you know how to enter properly, stay out until we summon you.”

  “How long will that be?”

  “I do not know,” Shadow Walker replied. “The others are still debating.”

  “Swell,” Donnie said. Shadow Walker smiled and placed his hand over Donnie’s eyes. Donnie woke up and looked around. He was in a closet, and for a moment he thought he was back in the bedroom in Tranquility, but the room was smaller. He was lying on some sort of cold metal slab, and when he tried to get up, he found that he had been bound. There were six thick leather straps holding him firmly in place. He tried to break them but he was simply too weak. He could see light coming from outside the closet, but could hear no sound coming from outside. The only sounds he could hear was the squeaking of rats and they were getting louder. Donnie tilted his head and could see a multitude of rats on the floor.

  “Hey, little guys, I hope you aren’t hungry,” Donnie said. The rats began to scatter, and Donnie could now hear footsteps coming. He closed his eyes and decided to play dead, well more dead anyway. Two sets of footsteps entered the closet he was stored in.

  “How’s he doing tonight?” an unfamiliar female voice asked.

  “Still no change,” an equally unfamiliar male voice answered. “I don’t think he’s getting any better.”

  “I’ll let her know,” the female voice said and walked out of the closet.

  “Well, at least there are no rats tonight,” the male voice said talking to Donnie. “I think I’ve had to kill over five thousand rats since you’ve been here.” The male inspected his bonds and opened Donnie’s eyes one by one. “Time for sleep now, see you tonight.” Donnie listened as the man exited the closet, and then heard chains, locks, and bolts being secured over the closet door. Whoever they were, they didn’t want him going anywhere he thought. Donnie needed blood badly, he was very weak, and he was even too weak to frenzy. Donnie decided to try and heal, so maybe he could regain some of his strength; he began to relax and cease his movements. Nothing, without blood, he was not going to be able to regain his strength. Then he remembered how he was healing in the forest. It was worth a shot; maybe if he could tap into that force he might be able to break free. He relaxed and stretched out his consciousness. The rats quickly returned in mass. He could feel them climbing onto his chest, legs, and arms. He opened his eyes to find a large rat starring at him.

  “Great,” Donnie said. “Now I am going to get bitten?”

  “No bite,” the rat replied. Donnie screamed in terror. The rat screamed in turn and jumped off. “Run!” Donnie watched as the rats all scurried away into holes in the walls.

  What was that? Donnie thought. “I’m insane, I’m an insane vampire.” Donnie lay there in the near darkness and decided to try it again. A few hours later, he began to hear the scurrying of rats again. They began climbing on him once more and just sat there. The large rat had also returned and was standing on his chest.

  “What do you want?” Donnie asked.

  “We help?” the large rat replied. “No, kill us more?”

  “OK, sure . . . ” Donnie replied. “Can you get me loose?”

  “Si,” the rats said one after another in a surreal squeaking chorus. They began chewing through the leather straps. It took the rats minutes to chew through all the straps. Donnie was amazed at their efficiency and tenacity. He was finally able to move. Donnie sat up, and the rats began scurrying away.

  “Thanks,” Donnie said still unsure at what had just happened.

  “De nada,” the rats replied as they ran back into their holes. He could still hear them talking in the hole. Donnie tried to get up and fell right over. It took him another thirty minutes to fina
lly be able to stand up. He began lumbering toward the closet door. He found it locked by a large chain. Donnie could see lights and a larger room on the other side. Donnie pushed on the door with all his might, driving his shoulder into it, but found it impossible to heave open. The wooden door was old but still sturdy. Donnie summoned all of his remaining strength and punched the door. His arm went all the way through it and now he could see the chains and reach the dead bolts. The bolt was easily reached and undone, but the chain was another matter altogether. It was not too thick and the lock was massive. He reached around looking for a way to unhook or unlatch the chains, but they were well secured. Donnie was about to sit down and rest when he heard a small voice behind him.

  “Llave,” the large rat said. Donnie turned and looked at the rodent and to his amazement, it was holding a key.

  “No way,” Donnie uttered in disbelief.

  “Llave,” the critter repeated and dropped the key at his feet before scurrying away.

  “Gracias,” Donnie said to the rat. “How can I ever thank you?”

  “Queso, mucho queso,” it called back from the hole. Of course, he thought to himself, what rodent wouldn’t want a lot of cheese. He picked up the key and carefully worked it into the lock. He turned it, expecting it remain locked, but was massively impressed when he heard it click open. Donnie was not sure what happened, but within moments, he had pulled the chains into the closet and opened the door. As Donnie walked out into the room, he was surprised by what he saw. He was in a hotel suite. It looked like that place had not seen any use in several years. The carpets were stained, wallpaper had peeled off the walls, the bed was lopsided, and there were a multitude of holes scatted throughout the wall of the suite. He could now tell that he had been placed on a wheeled gurney similar to what an ambulance would carry. He looked out the window and could see that he was on the third or forth floor. The sun bothered his eyes, so he stayed out of direct sunlight. The smell of vampires caught his nose; it was thick in the air. Donnie began walking the halls of the old hotel. In just about every room he crossed, he could see a vampire firmly locked in the daysleep. Every room he entered was kept purposely dark. He was surprised that it took less than he expected to resist his hunger. He continued to wander aimlessly, until a familiar scent reached his nostrils. He began walking toward the smell of apples. Donnie reached a room that was on the sixth floor and looked inside. He smiled when he spotted Abbie safe and resting peacefully. He entered the room and lay close to her, wrapping his arms around her. The walk to that point had left him exhausted, and he fell asleep right away.