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

by R. M. Garcia

  “He’s gone!” Miguel yelled.

  “Que?” Lily asked as he ran into the room, “How?”

  “I don’t know,” Miguel replied. “The straps look like they were chewed through, and the chains were removed.”

  “Oh no, he’s loose,” Lily panicked. “What if he went outside, during the day?”

  “I’ll go check the halls and you go tell her,” Miguel ordered.

  “Hell no,” she replied. “You tell her, and I will check the halls.”

  “Then its rock, paper, scissors,” Miguel said.

  “OK, best three out of five,” Lily said. The two began their contest and were tied two apiece when they were interrupted.

  “What is going on here?” Espee asked.

  “Oh shit!” Miguel exclaimed.

  “Well?” Espee asked again.

  “He’s gone!” Lily replied hurriedly. “We don’t know where he went. We found it just like this. It’s not our fault!”

  “What?” Espee said and ran into the room. She came back out after looking over the interior. “Miguel.”

  “Si jefa,” he replied.

  “Get Nox, and get him now!” Espee yelled. Miguel ran off toward Nox’s room, yelling for him.

  “Do you think he went outside to look for blood?” Lily asked.

  “No, I’m sure he didn’t. We’re all in great danger!” Espee said. “If he frenzies, he could kill any of us.”

  “Huh?” Lily asked. “Why would he attack one of us?”

  “Never mind, go, wake Abbie,” Espee ordered.

  “Why, she rarely leaves her room anymore. How can she help?” Lily asked. Espee looked at the young Foundling and bared her teeth.

  “Right away,” Lily said and ran up to the sixth floor. Nox passed Lily as he ran toward Espee.

  “What’s up boss,” Nox asked.

  “Donnie is gone,” Espee said. “Track him down,” Lily screamed from above and Espee and Nox rushed toward her cries and toward the unknown. They found Lily standing outside of Abbie’s room. Abbie began to stir from the daysleep.

  “Abbie,” Espee said. “Please be very careful.” Abbie looked over to the doorway entrance to find Espee, Nox, and Lily staring into her room. They were all in a state of alarm.

  “What?” Abbie asked still a bit groggy. Then she felt an arm around her. She looked down at it and knew right away whose it was.

  “I hope you didn’t have too many nights where you woke up alone,” Donnie said softly into her ear.

  “Doesn’t matter now, baby,” Abbie said as she turned around and laid her head on his chest. His heart was beating ever so softly. “You’re back with me now.”

  “Is he sane?” Espee asked.

  “I’ll take care of him,” Abbie said. “Can we have some privacy?” Espee looked at Nox, and she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

  “If you don’t mind,” Espee said. “I’ll watch to make sure he doesn’t frenzy.” Donnie looked at her suspiciously, but Abbie placed a hand on his chest.

  “It’s OK, Donnie,” she said. “This is Espee.” She cleared her hair and offered her neck to Donnie. Donnie bit in and drank for a while. He stopped on his own much to Espee’s surprise.

  “We’re in Miami?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Abbie replied. “We’ve been here for six months.” Donnie’s eyes went wide. He realized that he had indeed been gone a long time.

  CHAPTER 33

  Night Lights

  ESPEE AND ABBIE spent the next few hours explaining to Donnie what had happened during the last six months. She told him about her fight with Stefan, which cleared up his lingering question about the moose. She let him know that she had checked into Stefan claims about hurting their friends and family. To his relief, no one had been seriously injured. “So wait, I have been asleep for six months, Tranquility has up and moved, you killed Stefan, who was the same guy who chased me in the mill, and we’re now in Miami. Am I missing anything?” he asked. Abbie snuggled next to him intent on not letting go. It was a lot to absorb in such a short time.

  “Yes, in a nutshell that is what happened,” Espee replied.

  “So what happened at the end of the battle?” Donnie asked.

  “You pushed yourself too far,” Abbie replied. “You almost died, again.” Donnie watched Abbie’s face saddened as she scolded him. She was both angry and relieved all at once.

  “There were heavy losses on both sides, but our attackers were driven back,” Espee replied. “Reports I received said that only a handful managed to get away.”

  “How many did we lose?” Donnie asked. “In the end I mean.”

  “Far less than we should have, had you not been there,” Espee replied.

  “Good!” Donnie said, “They got what they deserved then.” Nox looked in on them, and when Espee looked at him, he simply nodded.

  “Hunting packs will be going out soon, Abbie,” Espee said. “Get ready, as you will need a lot of blood to help him get better.” Abbie nodded, and Espee got up and headed for the door. “I have a lot of questions for you, Donnie.”

  “I have a lot of them as well.” Donnie was sure she had the answers he was looking for.

  The Miami den was a completely different setup than Donnie and Abbie had experienced in Canada. Espee really had her act together and ran her motley crew with pinpoint precision. Every detail was thought out, and every move was planned days in advance. The Miami Foundlings called themselves Los Nomados, and it suited them well. Every few nights, Los Nomados under Espee’s care moved to a different location to sleep through the day. Abbie had told Donnie that in the six months that she had been with Espee that they had not visited the same place twice. Over the next several days, Donnie fed some from Abbie, but blood was much harder to come by in Miami. Often, many of the Foundlings went without feeding for days at a time, and Abbie was no exception. Espee had asked that the fact that Donnie only drank vampire blood be kept between her, Abbie, and Donnie. She felt it might unnerve the others. Donnie agreed to keep quiet about it. Not many in Tranquility knew about it either, so Donnie and Abbie were fine keeping the secret in Miami as well. There were no easy ways to get blood in Miami; they didn’t keep livestock because they moved so often, so everyone needed to hunt human blood. The easiest way to feed was to prey on drunks and drug addicts. Bite marks on arms would easily be dismissed as drug needle tracks. Also Abbie was informed that if a human was unconscious when it was bitten, the wound would heal. Espee had explained that it was adrenaline that caused a bite wound not to heal. So if a person was unconscious, they never felt the bite. Knocking out someone and then feeding was a common way to get blood.

  The Miami Foundlings were a very different sort. They were all younger; none of them looked to be younger than sixteen and none looked to be no older than twenty-five. Donnie found it odd, as there had been a wide range of ages in Tranquility. Also no Foundling here was truly older than thirty. The Reich had been very active in slaying any Foundling they discovered in Florida, and they had been very successful, except when it came to Los Nomados. Over that last six months, they had become less active in the pursuit of Foundlings. Espee suspected that losing so many executioners in Tranquility had placed a strain on their numbers. No one minded that as it made hunting easier and less hazardous. Donnie’s recovery was very slow. He refused to take much blood from Abbie as she needed it as well. It was weeks before he could walk unassisted, and even after that, his strength was greatly diminished. His recovery was slow, but he was getting better. It was another month before Donnie was allowed to venture outside.

  “Remember your training,” Espee warned Donnie. “Stay out of public places.”

  “Yes, I know. I don’t want to be spotted.”

  “I don’t want you bringing anyone to us,” Espee warned. “I am placing Nox with you for tonight. He will keep you safe.” Donnie was almost insulted by the comment. His strength was returning, and he was confident he could handle himself against any vampir
e he met but decided to follow orders. He and Nox went out together. Once they were outside, Donnie hailed a cab.

  “What are you doing, Donnie?” Nox asked. “You need to stay hidden.”

  “Nox, I’m not hunting, so I’m not going to attract any attention,” Donnie replied. “Besides, I need to run some errands.”

  “What errands?” Nox asked.

  “Some personal stuff,” Donnie said. “You’re welcome to tag along, or just shadow me.”

  “OK, let’s go,” Nox said as he also got in the cab. Nox realized that it had been over thirty years since he had ridden in any car and sat back and relaxed his guard a bit. Foundlings never traveled by car, so it was like hiding in plain sight. Donnie realized that he had been away too long, it had been over five years since they left New Jersey; he needed to check on Misha and CeeCee. He had grabbed a few hundred dollars from what remained of their money. Abbie had given most of their money to Claude to help the survivors move. Espee had informed him that they were in Alaska now, thanks to the funds, but they were down to less than five thousand dollars. Luther, Clara, and Claude had all survived, but many more did not. The Reich had found them all the way out in Tranquility. Not knowing the fate of his friends worried him greatly. They had gone after Abbie’s friends and parents, and even though she found that they were fine, she had failed to check on Misha and CeeCee.

  Donnie had planned the night out for weeks and had every detail carefully plotted out. Once they reached a more populated area, Donnie and Nox got out and started walking around town. Donnie walked into a convenience store and bought a prepaid phone and a forty-four ounce soda. As he walked down the street, he pretended to take sips from the large cup and made his way toward a UPS Store. Nox walked quietly beside him, he was not sure what Donnie was up to. Donnie rented a mail box in the store, and then began a long walk toward the library, and was pleasantly surprised when he crossed a cyber café, and decided to go in. He walked over to the counter and rented usage of a computer. After checking the inside of the café, Nox moved outside to watch for trouble. Nox suspected he knew what Donnie was up to.

  Donnie began looking up for property records in the area where his house was. He could see that his house was still owned by Misha and Cecilia Busby. A further search of their names revealed some interesting things. Misha was now a famous actor. He even had his own official fan Web page. Donnie reviewed his personal bio and TV and Filmographies. Misha had gotten his break playing a student on a teen drama a year after Abbie and he left. The show ran for only one season, but it gave him a chance to work in a movie. His first movie was a big hit, and he was currently working on the sequel. He received an Oscar nomination for his performance, but he didn’t win it, but Donnie knew it was only a matter of time before his friend earned the honor. His bio also mentioned CeeCee. She had become a talent manager and was working for a major record label, plus they had kids. Donnie smiled as he read their children’s names. Abraham was three and Donna was just under a year old. He was surprised that they had started a family so quickly after he had left. He smiled as he reminisced on memories of his childhood in his home and wondered if Misha’s and CeeCee’s kids would have just as fond memories there. Donnie posted a message to him. He wasn’t sure if he would understand it, but he hoped for the best. It read “Dear Misha, I have been a fan for over five years. Me and my wife are wondering if you are ever going to be in a Kung-Fu flick. He signed it, Sincerely Number 26. Donnie had hoped he would understand, and would remember that 26 was his jersey number on the basketball team.

  While he was at it, he went over to check on CeeCee. He checked her label’s information on her, and her itinerary indicated that she would be in Miami in four weeks. She was promoting a band named Solia Tera. It took Donnie a few minutes to remember. That was the same band that played at their prom, Abbie’s favorite Indy band. Good for them, they had been signed to a record deal and were now touring, and CeeCee was promoting them. He decided to send her a message. He wrote: Dear Mrs. Busby, I’d love to come to the show in Miami. I have been a big fan of the band since they played at our High School. Is there any way you could leave a pair of tickets for me? He signed it, Eleven year-old kiss. That was as cryptic a message he dared leave. He was not sure if she would read it, but knowing that they were doing fine, made him feel a bit more relaxed.

  The last thing he had to do was check his finances. He had moved the bulk of his funds into a CD before they left for Canada. He had managed to lock it in at 12 percent for a four-year term. As expected, his money had been moved over into a money market account once the period of the CD was over. His money was now earning a measly 3 percent, but it had also grown to over 10 million. He sent an e-mail to his broker letting her know that he was still traveling abroad and to leave the money in the money market account. He was satisfied with the conditions of things and just needed to check on one final thing. Upon inspection of his checking account, he found that he still had over $100,000 in it. His debit card had long expired, so he ordered a new one and had it sent to the box he had just rented. When he was done, he got up and turned off the computer after deleting the history. Donnie and Nox hailed another cab and it took them back near the evening’s resting place. When they exited the cab, they found Espee waiting for them.

  “What were you thinking?” Espee asked. “You could have brought them right to us.”

  “I needed to take care of things,” Donnie explained. “We were careful.” Espee was furious but she did not raise her voice to Donnie until they were back in the sewers and alone.

  “Maricon, if you are going to live with us, you need to follow our rules!” Espee yelled.

  “You call this living?” he replied. “We are hiding in the sewers, warehouses, and condemned buildings, no better than cockroaches!”

  “So you think we should walk about in the open?” Espee asked. “It won’t work. I was completely against Tranquility and look what happened.”

  “Yeah, look what happened! For the first time, the formal Bloodlines were sent packing with their tails in between their legs!” he yelled back.

  “You think that’s going to happen here?” Espee asked. “Because it won’t!”

  “No, all I know is that no matter how much we hide, the Bloodlines always discover us,” Donnie replied. “It happens over and over again!”

  “So what am I supposed to do?” Espee said as she sat down on a milk crate. “No matter how hard I try, I cannot keep them safe. Moving around is the only way.” Donnie watched as her fire and spirit simply drained from her.

  “Why are we the ones always on the run?” he asked as he sat next to her. “All we’re doing is waiting and hoping we don’t get spotted, all the while, everyone goes hungry. Eventually, this is going to fail, somebody is going to be spotted, and then they’ll come for us.”

  “Donnie, I’m so tired. I have been doing this for a very long time,” Espee confessed. “I have tried fighting them, moving around, hiding, and you are right, nothing works. I just don’t know what else to do anymore.”

  “You scatter us to the four winds,” Donnie said. “If I learned anything from the battle in Tranquility is that the more of us we have the harder it is to kill us. Luther was right; they always come with large numbers and try to have to have superior force. They were unable to do that in Tranquility.”

  “Yeah, but having everyone in one place,” Espee said. “It’s just inviting an attack.”

  “All of the Foundlings in Tranquility stood and fought, no one ran,” he said. “Do you know why?” Espee looked over at Donnie and shrugged.

  “Tell me,” she said.

  “It was our home,” Donnie said. “It was greater than just a den. We had lives there, and yes, they took it from us, but we made them pay. Now imagine if we had five hundred or even a thousand Foundlings.”

  “Donnie, there aren’t that many Foundlings alive,” Espee said. “The last count after the attack has our numbers at just over four hundred.”

>   “Worldwide?” Donnie asked.

  “No, just here in North America.”

  “Want to bet that worldwide there are over a thousand of us?”

  “It’s just not possible. How do we organize?”

  “That I don’t know, but it’s a new plan,” Donnie said. “It’s something different.”

  “It might work, but I have my doubts.”

  “It beats just sitting around waiting for them to come get us,” he said. “If we could carve out a niche for ourselves, I think we’d be safer.”

  “You have never encountered a Source,” Espee said and continued, “I have. She was terrible and unstoppable. I ordered Tranquility moved because I fully expected a Source to walk into the town and simply kill everyone.” Her eyes glassed over for a moment as if she were reliving some horrible memory.

  “They can’t be that powerful, can they?” Donnie could see Espee’s face and knew right away.

  “I have seen them in action, and yes, they are. Our numbers would mean nothing against them.” Espee closed her eyes and grimaced again as if remembering something terrible.

  “I can’t imagine one single being able to kill three hundred vampires all alone,” he said.

  “Why not? Didn’t you just do the very same in Tranquility,” Espee reminded.

  “I’m not a Source, am I?” he asked in shock.

  “No, Sources rise on their own after being killed, and you were drained to death by Abbie,” she replied. “You are very strong, but the power of a Source is far beyond yours. Their power is supreme. So much so, that they don’t fight one another. The damage they would cause would be catastrophic. At least not since . . .”