Broken (Book 3 of The Guardian Interviews)

by Michael Clary

  Anyway, that’s how I convinced Momo to give me a hand. It turns out they were currently tracking the movements of five vampires. One of which happened to be right in the backyard of our headquarters.

  “Wait a second. You’re not getting off that easy. What happened when April walked into the room?”

  I grabbed her and kissed her. I wanted to get the show on the road, so to speak. I didn’t want to waste time trying to convince her. She freaked out a bit at first, but not enough to slap me.

  “Was that really all it took to convince him to help you out?”

  Sweetheart, you would be surprised at what a man is willing to do for a woman when the hint of sex is in the air. A woman just needs to know how to work it. With Momo I was blunt and obvious. I figured it would work on him since he’s so blunt and obvious. Another type of guy might prefer me to act coy or maybe even domineering, but not Momo. He’s willing to play the game, but he wants to know what the game is upfront.

  “Wow, I can’t believe it was that easy for you.”

  I should point out that Momo is an incredible person. He comes across as gruff and rude, but once you get past that, he’s really pretty cool. We’ve become pretty good friends, and yes, he still calls me a muff-diver.

  Anyhow, after making-out with April, I grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him out of the building right to the waiting car before he could gather his senses and change his mind. We were actually on the plane in the air before he started to get cold feet.

  “I’m not sure I should have just left like that,” Momo announced after we had been in the air for a good thirty minutes.

  “A little late to be worrying about that now, you pervert,” I said.

  “Seriously though,” he said. “What if things go bad without me there to supervise?”

  “You’re probably not as important as you think you are,” I told him.

  He had relaxed somewhat by the time we reached our headquarters and landed. The second we were off the plane I had him by the arm once again. I didn’t want him talking to anybody. I didn’t want anyone catching wind of who he was. There would be too many questions if Mr. Hardin or Miriam found that out.

  I dragged him to my truck, tossed him inside, and tore out of the base before anyone even figured out that I had brought someone back with me. Plus, I drive fast, and I mean really fast. When I first started working at our makeshift base camp, I had a lot of problems with the guards at the gate because of my driving. Mr. Hardin eventually had to step in and tell them to leave me be. Ever since that day, I like to charge my truck at the gate and watch them scramble to get it open before I slam into it. It’s childish but sometimes it’s fun to rub it in.

  It’s probably a good thing I’m such a brat. If I bothered to stop at the gate like a normal person, I would have been caught red handed with Momo. As it was, I didn’t even slow down. If they even saw someone in the truck with me, I can guarantee they didn’t get a very good look.

  Once I was about ten minutes from base camp, I pulled over and asked Momo for directions. He pulled out a laptop and started typing away.

  “You need to head west until you hit the desert,” Momo said. “From there we need to find a nice place to chill out until the sun goes down.”

  This is the part where I really started to get nervous. Jaxon and the boys were scheduled to return sometime after sunset. I needed to get what I wanted from the vampire before anyone figured out what I was trying to do.

  We found a little diner along a dusty road near our destination. The sky was a dark blue, and there were only a few clouds in the sky. The morning was just beginning to warm up as we trudged from the truck to the restaurant. The only thing that could be seen aside from the desert sand in all directions was an old car junkyard in the distance.

  “Are you sure we’re in the right place?” I asked Momo after we had found a table and grabbed some menus.

  “I’m positive,” he answered. “The vampire is staying in an old shack about forty miles from here. I’m guessing it’s a pretty young vampire, and it’s probably worried about leaving the area.”

  “Why would it be worried about leaving the area?” I asked. “It seems to me that leaving the area would be a good idea with the Regulators right next door in El Paso.”

  “From the little that we’ve learned about vampires,” Momo answered, “we believe that the older ones often kill the younger ones if they don’t want them in their territory. Every single vampire that was in the area, with the exception of the one we’re looking for, left after the Guardian killed the local master. That tells me it’s afraid to leave.”

  “Sounds sort of barbaric that they’d kill their own kind,” I mumble.

  “Of course I could be wrong,” Momo said. “It could also be waiting for a chance to strike. You know what I mean? Wait for the Guardian to relax his guard and then pounce on him.”

  I was officially worried, and it must have shown on my face because Momo started laughing.

  “That doesn’t sound good at all,” I said glumly. “It might eat me just because I know Jaxon.”

  “It’s possible,” Momo laughed. “Maybe we should turn around and go home.”

  I ignored him and ordered a bite to eat.

  I can’t say I had a lovely time with Momo that day as we waited for the sun to set. He did his best to harass me about my sexuality. He even tried to convince me that I should have sex with him before I went out and got myself killed. I could tell that he was just trying to distract me from what I was about to do. I imagine that I must have looked pretty worried, and I appreciated his efforts even if they weren’t very effective.

  I’ve never exactly been a huge sun-lover but as the fiery orb began to set and the magic hour of twilight started covering the wide open landscape, I began to see the sun as an old friend: a friend that I would miss terribly, a friend that kept me safe. It was a weird feeling. I’ve always been a night person. I like going out to clubs and partying until the wee hours of dawn. I guess I was just afraid. Remember, I’m not a fighter. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I’m not any good at fighting. I’m an average person. I’m not truly a Regulator. I avoid the terrible things a Regulator so lovingly embraces.

  I was just about pissing in my pants.

  “That’s pretty understandable. I don’t think I would have the guts to attempt what you were about to attempt.”

  I would hope not. I don’t think anyone in their right minds would try it. Yet, there I was, summoning up my courage as we left the diner and walked to the truck. We spent about nine hours at the diner. Momo enjoyed about three meals; I picked at barely one. I left a huge tip, but they were probably glad to see us finally leave.

  My heart was pounding in my chest as I got behind the wheel. I could hear my own breathing, and it sounded incredibly loud. My hand shook as I started the engine. Finally, Momo reached across the cab, and covered my hand with his own.

  “Listen,” Momo said. “There’s no shame if you want to turn back. Nobody even has to know what we were up to.”

  “I can’t turn back,” I replied. “There’s too much at stake. We need a miracle, and this just might be it.”

  Momo nodded in response.

  “If you get turned instead of killed, would you mind terribly if I performed some experiments on you?”

  “Momo,” I replied. “I shudder to think of the experiments you have in mind.”

  He laughed, and we drove off towards the setting sun. A few minutes into the drive my phone began to ring. I took a look at who the caller was. It was Miriam. I didn’t have much time. Miriam was too smart. She would figure things out, and when she did, she would send someone after me. I knew all too well who that someone would be.

  “Jaxon?”

  Yes, and I just knew it would be bad if he got involved. I’m talking scorched earth and a path of destruction kind of bad. Don’t get me wrong. It’s nice to know when someone cares about you, and I love him dearly for it, but if you
put Jaxon in a room with something that may be threatening my safety… Well, I feel very sorry for whatever creature or person it may be.

  The phone calls continued. Every five minutes the phone would ring. Momo just smiled. I kept looking at the caller ID. Miriam was one thing. Jaxon was another. I was really worried Miriam would tell Jaxon I was up to something. Before I knew it, we were driving past little shacks that were rotting away under the desert sun. The road we were on was partially covered with sand, and eventually we lost even that last little bit of pavement as we set out down a lonely dirt road.

  The open desert gave way to rocky canyons and boulders of varying size. Magic hour slipped away and the darkness began to creep up on us. I couldn’t outrun it. Every turn in the road led to more shadows. The full moon was high in the sky when a loud beeping emanated from Momo’s laptop.

  “Looks like we have a problem,” Momo announced.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Someone is hacking into my computer.”

  “Can you stop them?” I asked.

  “Not from here I can’t.”

  I sighed heavily. There was always a slight chance that Miriam hadn’t figured out what I was up to. That slight chance had been snatched away from me with an annoying alarm. They were rapidly tracking us down.

  My phone rang out again.

  I looked at the caller ID. It was Jaxon. He left a message but I didn’t bother to listen to it. I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. I just kept driving.

  The sun had almost completely vanished from the horizon when Momo asked me to pull over. We had entered a canyon, and the dirt road ahead of us had a dramatic curve through the high walls. I couldn’t see a thing beyond the curve.

  “It’s best that you set out on foot from here,” Momo said. “If things go bad I want enough of a head start out of here.”

  “You really don’t want to come with me?” I asked hopefully.

  “Fuck no,” Momo snapped. “Do I look like a stupid woman to you?”

  “Yes,” I answered. “You do.”

  Momo told me the vampire’s lair was just beyond the rocky walls of the canyon. He also advised me to take my time getting there because I might be considered more of a threat if I show up before the vampire awakes.

  I jogged through the canyon. I wanted to reach my destination before I had completely lost the sun. I didn’t succeed. In the darkness, I almost missed the shabby little adobe shack in the middle of a large clearing covered with scrub brush and weeds.

  The shack was far from impressive. It looked as if a strong wind would send the walls crashing down upon themselves. I could hear the crunch of small rocks from beneath my boots as I walked to the wooden front door. The moon was my only source of light, and even its beam seemed to stay away from the vampire’s home.

  I waited in front of the shack for another twenty minutes after the sun had set in an effort to be polite. Actually, that’s probably not true. I kept telling myself that I was being polite but the reality is probably more like me being afraid to get any closer to that front door.

  Finally, I could wait no longer.

  I crunched my way forward and approached the door. I could hear no movement coming from inside the shack. I then realized that I also wasn’t hearing any animal noises outside either. It seemed as though even the coyotes and insects sought to avoid this frightening place.

  I knocked on the door.

  There was no answer. I began to wonder if the shack had been abandoned. I knocked again, and when there was still no answer, I tried the latch. It lifted easily, and the door swung inward with a loud creek straight out of a horror movie.

  “Is there anyone home?” I asked with a trembling voice. “I’m not looking for trouble. I just want to talk.”

  The shack couldn’t have been more than two or three rooms, but it was so dark I couldn’t see anything past the dirt walls of the first room. With a deep breath I entered the shack and took a few steps into the blackness. I instantly felt eyes upon me. I no longer believed the lair was abandoned. I felt movement.

  I was terrified.

  I couldn’t will myself to take another step forward. I also couldn’t retreat. My legs had simply frozen up and refused to obey my commands. As to what my commands would have been, I couldn’t truthfully answer, but I really did want to run like Hell.

  I suddenly remembered my small flashlight. I had placed it in my pocket earlier in the day, thinking it might come in handy. My hand slowly moved down my body towards my back pocket as if it were afraid to make a sudden move.

  I fumbled getting it out; and just as I finally pulled it free, the front door gave a low creak as it slowly closed behind me. My heart skipped a beat. I gasped out loud. A spike of adrenaline rampaged through my body causing me to become jittery and clumsy. I almost dropped my flashlight. I couldn’t find the button to turn it on. I was in complete darkness.

  I finally managed to remember that my flashlight didn’t have a button. In order to turn it on I had to twist the top. I could hear the sound of my lungs loudly gasping for air. It sounded as if I had just run a marathon. My fingers fumbled for what seemed an eternity, but I managed at last to turn on the light.

  I shined the light in front of me. I could see a short hallway that probably led to some back bedrooms. I shined it to the left of me; I saw a filthy, cracked window that emitted no light into the room. It was above an old writing desk that had seen better times. I turned the light towards the right. I saw a worn-out couch, a low table with a large waxy candle, and a motionless figure against the wall. I turned around and checked behind me. There was nothing but empty space and the wooden door I had just come through.

  I paused, knowing something was off but unable to comprehend what.

  A motionless figure against the wall.

  I froze up for a moment as my brain attempted to process what should have sent me running out into the desert.

  After I unstuck myself, I turned slowly back to the figure against the wall. It was a young woman with pale, possibly even grayish skin. Her hair was very blonde, framing her face rather prettily. She wore a frilly, Mexican-styled dress without shoes. She had no emotion on her face whatsoever. She didn’t blink. She didn’t move. She didn’t even seem to breathe.

  I was looking at a vampire.

  It wasn’t the unnatural way in which she composed herself that chilled me to the bone. No, it wasn’t that at all. It was her lifeless eyes and black lips. The combination of those unnatural features on her pretty face made me want to scream.

  You see, up close vampires really don’t look human at all. They look like someone made an angry replica of a human being and filled it up with malice and razors. They even give off an aura that makes you feel dirty. It conjures up thoughts of rotting meat and vile insects slithering up your arm.

  “Turn off the light,” the vampire whispered.

  I didn’t know what to do. I sure as Hell didn’t want to turn off my flashlight, but I also didn’t want to piss her off.

  “TURN OFF THE LIGHT,” the vampire roared at my hesitation.

  I obeyed instantly. My fingers fumbled once again but I turned it off.

  The candle on the table came to life instantly. It bathed the room in a soft glow, and I only peed myself slightly when I realized that the vampire was standing right next to me.

  “The artificial light hurts my eyes,” she whispered as she walked around me in a tight circle.

  “I…I…I need to talk to you,” I stammered. “I need your help.”

  “You smell beautiful,” she purred into my ear when she was behind me.

  I was too afraid to turn around and face her. Instead, I spoke to the empty air in front of me.

  “I’m not a fighter,” I said. “I won’t be able to defend myself. I just want you to hear me out before you do anything rash.”

  The vampire stopped smelling me instantly. There was a flurry of movement too fast to track and suddenly, she was in front of me.
Her dead, unblinking eyes were inches from my face. A thin line of black drool oozed from the corner of her mouth.

  “You know what I am?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I answered, “but in not here for trouble. I think I can help you.”

  She smiled at me sweetly, and the smile only served to make her even more terrifying. From somewhere inside the folds of her dress she produced a linen handkerchief and used it to wipe her mouth and chin.

  “You know what I am and still, you came?” she asked.

  “What I need to discuss with you is very important,” I answered.

  “I’m very hungry,” she said. “I could hear your footsteps all the way from outside my home. Such a pretty girl you are.”

  “Will you hear me out?” I asked.

  “I can hear your heart beating inside your chest,” she said. “Do I frighten you that much?”

  “Yes,” I answered. “I’m very frightened.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want to be hurt,” I answered.

  “Then perhaps you shouldn’t have knocked on my door,” she said as the smile vanished from her face.

  “I work with the Regulators,” I blurted out. “The Guardian is a personal friend of mine.”

  Her eyes grew wide as she took in my words. Then, her face contorted into a mask of fury and she grabbed me by the neck. Her hand was cold and impossibly strong. I pushed on her arm with all my might. I couldn’t get her to let go of me. I watched as her bottom jaw began to grow. I saw the multitudes of fang teeth burst forth from her black gums and grow in her mouth.

  I still had the flashlight in my hand.

  I held it up to her horrid face and twisted the power on. She shrieked when the beam hit her eyes and threw me aside before vanishing. The candle had blown out. I wasn’t sure if she did it on purpose or not, but the room was too dark. Even using my flashlight, I couldn’t keep the blackness from closing in on me.

  I stood on shaky feet. My back was to the dirty window. The grime on the glass was so dense it probably blocked out the sun.

  The vampire was screaming obscenities at me from somewhere across the room. She wanted me to know what she was going to do to me. She screamed that the Guardian had killed her sister and her father. She wanted her revenge.