V Games_Fresh From The Grave

by Caroline Peckham

  Nirena was ready with the concoction, drawn up into a syringe. Dixon seemed entirely surprised that I had achieved what he had deemed to be the impossible.

  Harriet bobbed up and down on her feet. She was barely sixteen and hadn't lost the flare of youth from her human life.

  “You did it,” Dixon said in disbelief then halted in his tracks as he approached. “Oh lord, she smells delightful.”

  Kaitlin released a shaky laugh, the first sign that she was nervous.

  “Do not be afraid,” Nirena said, but even her eyes were alight with hunger.

  “No one will hurt her,” I said. “Not a hair on her head.”

  “Of course,” Nirena said, gesturing for Kaitlin to lay on the tomb spread with a white sheet. I helped her up, keeping hold of her hand as she laid down.

  “The kindness of humans never fails to amaze me,” Nirena said, smiling at me before gently taking Kaitlin's arm and sliding the needle into the crook of her elbow.

  Kaitlin was no stranger to pain, and this didn't even deliver a flinch from her.

  A shout sounded beyond the crypt and I turned, frowning in the direction of the door.

  “I'll check it out,” Harriet said, flying out of the crypt in a flash.

  “Good, sit up.” Nirena helped Kaitlin upright and she smiled nervously at me.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “We wait a little while, then we will extract a sample from you,” Nirena explained.

  The doors rattled and an ominous snap sounded from outside. “Someone's here,” I growled.

  Dixon rushed to the doors, opening them wide. Harriet's body tumbled down the steps, her lifeless eyes gazing up at us.

  “Go!” I barked at Nirena and she flew from the room after Dixon.

  I took Kaitlin into my arms, running to a wooden chest at the back of the crypt and throwing the books off of it in a flash.

  “Varick!” She clung to me.”What's going on?”

  “I need you to hide, stay in here until I tell you to come out.” I placed her into the chest and her wide eyes disappeared as I shut the lid, piling the books back atop it.

  Dixon cried out beyond the crypt.

  I ran forward to help, flying up the steps but my way was blocked by a huge man with white-blonde hair, his eyes a piercing blue. In his hand was Dixon's head, hanging by his hair.

  “Evening V. What do we have here then?”

  I backed up, ready to fight for everything we'd worked for. I couldn't die here, now. The bodies of my comrades caused a dull pain inside me.

  The man smelt enticing and I guessed from everything Nirena had told me about them that this was a Hunter. A bloody silver knife was gripped in his palm. “Show me around then, V. I've heard all about you and your work. And 'the cure'.” He threw his head back, laughing. Behind him, I spotted more of them, at least eight men, two of them with the same white-blonde colouring as the first.

  “I don't know what you're talking about it.” I backed up another step, terrified that Kaitlin would be found.

  “Your little buddy Dixon had a lot to say the last time I saw him. Gave him some of my blood so you wouldn't suspect he was working for me. But I outgrew him.” He dropped Dixon's head with a series of thumps as it rolled down the steps. “You...however.” He sucked his teeth. “You I've heard a lot about.”

  I moved backwards as he followed me down into the crypt. I was hunter turned to prey.

  “Varick Cartwright, isn't it?”

  I nodded, trying to block out the sight of the chest as the Hunter gazed around the space with intrigue.

  “Cassius Helsing. You'll want to remember that name, I reckon. 'Cause you now belong to me.”

  Mercy

  It had taken me several seconds to register what was happening when the Vs had broken free of the pit. But my father had sprung into action like the Hunter in him was waiting, ready.

  My mother was graceful in her attacks, cutting down Vampires with the slash of a silver stake. My parents often carried weapons, I'd assumed it was out of habit. They'd been there in the days that Vampires had still roamed the earth. Killing innocent people throughout the world.

  The games were created to commemorate that. To remind people what the world could be like. What the Hunters had done for the human population. Wasn't it?

  I'd stared numbly at the spectators as they were torn down one by one.

  My eyes had found Varick, carrying Selena out of the pit and my heart had cleaved in two.

  My mother had taken my arm. “There's a safe room, back there.” She'd pointed toward a door behind us.

  I'd been holed up in the square room made of silver ever since. It was packed with supplies, designed for the sole purpose of protecting our family if we were in danger. I was shaking, on the floor, my knees hugged to my chest. I never even considered what it would be like if the Vampires got free. And Varick was amongst them now. Had he made it off of the island? A small part of me hoped he had. Despite my envy and my hate of Selena, I wouldn't see Varick dead. Not now, not ever.

  The door swung open at last and I rushed into the arms of my mother. She shooed me away, looking over my shoulder. “Where's your brother?”

  I shook my head, searching for comfort in her eyes. Blood speckled her cheeks and her sequinned dress was torn at the hem. I'd never seen her like this, but I'd known she was capable of such power. Everything about her spoke of it. I wished now that I'd trained and developed my Hunter skills. I was useless in this fight.

  “Come with me.” She turned on her high heels, marching down the corridor.

  I followed, listening intently for the sound of the Vs out in the amphitheater but all was quiet.

  “Your father has everything under control,” she said and I nodded, my heel slipping in a puddle of blood.

  Mother led me out of the amphitheater where a truck was waiting for us. The front door was ripped off and a man was hanging out of it with blood dripping where his head lay. My mother huffed, dragging him out of the driver's seat and climbing into his place.

  I hurried to the other side, my cheeks frozen from the cold. This was bad.

  “Will the games close down?” I asked in alarm as my mother slammed her heel to the accelerator.

  “Don't be ridiculous,” she bit at me. “There have been breakouts in other games. We'll get this under wraps by morning.”

  “But the spectators...they won't come back.” If there were even any left.

  A sick satisfaction rolled through my stomach. Without the men here, I was free. For how long, I didn't yet know. But the games would surely be postponed for weeks to rebuild the island? Amongst all the chaos, I found hope.

  We arrived at the hotel. Bodies littered the ground. As my heels crunched across the gravel and we headed inside, I spied the man who had tried to force himself on me the other night, his body torn apart on the ground. My heart lifted and I hid my smile as I followed Mother inside.

  The lobby was swamped with blood and a group of survivors were gathered on the stairs. Nearly thirty men were there, wiping sweaty brows and drinking from bottles of water. Kite had been tied up near to the spectators, her chain attached to the muzzle over her face.

  My father appeared from the casino, dragging a weak V by its hair. He was frightening to behold with his shirt torn, his sleeves rolled up and his teeth gritted. He lifted the V up, slit its throat with a clean swipe of his blade and swiftly replaced the knife with a bottle. “Anyone injured, report to me!” he bellowed.

  The spectators looked nervous as some of them approached him, clutching onto injured limbs.

  “Where's Ignus?” Mother demanded, moving to Abraham's side.

  “He was interrogating our betrayer,” Abraham snarled.

  My mother suddenly let out a scream of horror that cut into my chest. I looked around for the source of her reaction, my eyes falling on one of our workmen, carrying a body in his arms. My brother was pale as stone, blood drenched his shirt and a gaping hole was all tha
t was left of his heart.

  My legs nearly gave way beneath me as I stumbled back, hitting a pillar of marble and clinging onto it. In my devastation I found Kite's eyes, brimming with delight. I hated her in that moment. I hated them all. The Vampires.

  “Who did this!?” Abraham roared, his voice reverberating through my head.

  But I knew who. There was only one person who would have sought out revenge on him.

  And I decided at once, that if Varick was so willing to inflict pain on my family, then I was done holding back. I was going to take from Varick the only thing he cared about and make him feel as I did now.

  Selena Grey was a dead girl.

  Selena

  The journey away from the island felt like a breath of fresh air. I could finally get some clarity. I could leave the world of bloodshed and pain behind and dream of what might lay ahead.

  Varick was troubled and I didn't have the words to comfort him. It was difficult to explain how I felt and I needed time to process everything that had happened. Still, we remained side by side, our hands clasped together in a silent bond until I grew so numbingly cold that Varick forced me to go inside. He remained out on the bow and I watched his shadowy form standing sentinel, gazing out at the sea. What did he think now that he was free? What did he want life to look like in the coming days? Perhaps he didn't know. I wasn't sure I did. All I knew was that, for now, everything was alright. And I'd cling to this moment for as long as it lasted.

  In the cabin, Thames was huddled under a blanket on a small bench, her face pale, all bravado from her expression gone.

  “Where will we go now?” she asked and I looked to Ulvic who was steering the vessel.

  “My home,” he answered stiffly.

  Cass entered the cabin and I took in the sight of her wind-swept hair and olive eyes. Eyes that pinned on Jameson for a moment who was snoozing soundly in a chair, before swivelling to me. I didn't know how he could sleep after what we'd just been through, but he looked as peaceful as a baby.

  “I've missed you,” I said, my throat constricting. It didn't begin to encompass how much. I'd longed for her at my side during the game. I'd relived the moment I'd left her at the top of that tower so many times. Being with her now reminded me of the other girl I'd lost at the top of that tower. Guilt niggled at me for leaving Kite behind, but I hadn't had an opportunity to save her. All I could hope was that she had gotten free during the chaos and managed to save herself.

  “I missed you too.” Cass broke a smile and it was so familiar that I launched myself into her arms. She stiffened, hesitantly holding me close. “Selena-”

  “I trust you,” I said firmly, stepping away.

  She nodded, but didn't look any less rigid. She sucked her cheeks in as if she were holding her breath. “I'll just get some air,” she said through tight lips and I nodded, letting her go, sad that she was a slave to blood now just like Varick.

  I turned to Ulvic who had barely said anything since we'd set sail.

  “Are you alright?” I asked softly. He'd found a large trench coat to wear, concealing his bare chest.

  He nodded, but remained silent, his eyes sliding to where Kodiak was pacing out on the deck.

  “God damn Vs,” he muttered.

  My neck prickled. “He helped us.”

  “I don't want those things in my home,” he growled.

  “Varick saved your life,” I snapped.

  Ulvic turned to me, pain in his eyes. “Don't tell me what he did. I was there. He didn't do it to save me, he did it to appease his disgusting appetite for blood.”

  “Ignus tortured him his whole life!” I shouted and Thames glanced anxiously between us.

  “I don't care what Ignus did,” Ulvic spat. “The Vs can stay for one day on my island, no longer.”

  I grimaced at him. “Fine. We'll find our own way after that.”

  Ulvic's dusky gaze ran down me. “You'd leave with them?”

  I nodded, gritting my teeth, looking at Varick out on the deck. Wherever he went, I'd be. That didn't seem like an option any more.

  “Fool,” Ulvic muttered and I moved away, past Jameson who was still sound asleep as I stepped out of the cabin and took in a breath of air.

  Kodiak shot a glance in my direction, sucking his lower lip hungrily. He had the stature of a solider, but his features were soft and beautiful.

  I gazed up at the heavens, counting the stars. Anything not to think for a moment. Anything at all.

  ◐☼◐

  It was still night when we arrived at Skorpa island, so dawn wasn't yet an issue for the Vampires, though it would be soon.

  Ulvic let us wash and change in his cabin and I finally felt human again, dressed in a warm jumper and jeans. I felt guilty for borrowing them from Reason, not knowing where she was now. What Ignus had done with her. She and Mekiah were evidently on Ulvic's mind too as he headed off into the woods to talk with his remaining wolves, Jameson at his side.

  Although I desperately wanted to ask for some time alone with Varick, I still wasn't sure whether I should leave Thames unattended with Kodiak. Cass, I trusted. Despite her own doubts. I knew who she was at heart. And that counted for so much more than she knew.

  We all sat in the lounge, my eyes straying to Varick over and over again. He was dressed in a dark shirt and jeans with his hair tugged up into a knot, gazing out of the window, his back to me.

  Cass gave me a sympathetic look before saying to Thames, “Hey, why don't you go to bed? Vs don't need to sleep, but there's no point you two staying awake.”

  Thames seemed zoned out. She hadn't even cried since the loss of her legs, but I could sense from her distant expression that she wasn't coping too well. She suddenly looked to me.

  “You go, I'm gonna stay up a bit longer,” I said softly and she nodded.

  Varick turned his ear in my direction, but said nothing.

  Cass moved to Thames's side. “May I?”

  Thames reached up, letting Cass lift her and carry her upstairs. I spotted Thames stealing a crossbow off the wall on her way. Couldn't really blame her after everything she'd been through.

  Cass returned a moment later, a scowl on her face.

  “Is she okay?” I asked, horrified by what had happened to Thames.

  “She's putting on a brave face,” Cass said and I nodded as silence fell in the room and my eyes slid to Varick's statuesque form once more.

  I knew now was my time to act, but still I found myself rooted to the armchair.

  Cass rolled her eyes at me, grabbed Kodiak's arm and guided him out the front door with purpose.

  “Where are we going?” he asked.

  “Out,” she snapped and he didn't argue, the two of them disappearing onto the porch as the door swung closed.

  How could silence be so loud? It suddenly burrowed into my head, pressing in on my ears.

  “Varick?” I called, my throat desperately dry.

  “I don't understand why you came back for me,” he said immediately.

  My heart nearly stopped. “What's that supposed to mean?” I breathed, getting to my feet and hesitantly approaching him.

  He rounded on me, his eyes impossibly green, invading my soul. He shifted closer, his broad form taking up everything, blotting out the world, his intoxicating scent flooding my senses and leaving me floundering.

  “It's obvious why I follow you like a blood hound. But you should never have returned to that island for me. Why come back? Why risk your life?”

  Hurt resonated in me as he confirmed my worst fears about why he wanted me. My blood. I dropped my eyes, scouring my socks as I searched for something to distract me from his rejection. My throat was so tight, that it wouldn't let me get out an answer to his question.

  His fingers reached into my hair, tugging slightly despite his obvious efforts to be gentle. “I'm enraptured by you.”

  I pulled away, retreating into myself, my doubts spilling over as I shook my head repeatedly. “I'm nothing.”
>
  “You're everything. And still you stand by me. A monster.” His upper lip curled back.

  I backed away, moving to the wall and resting my head against it. “What you did today...it was hard for me to watch. But Varick, it was what Ignus deserved. I'd never have been bold enough to do it myself.”

  When I glanced up, I found fury etched into his face in hard lines. He moved toward me at speed, so close, I couldn't breathe. Before I could even predict his next move, he slammed his knuckles into the wall beside my head. I heard the crunch and the crumble of dust but never moved, never even blinked. I was hanging on his next words, waiting, hoping he'd find a way out of this argument. Because I knew I couldn't.

  “You think you know yourself so well,” he growled, sending a shiver skittering down my spine. “But there are things you don't see that everyone else does. And things that only I see.”

  “Like what?” I breathed, the words passing my lips like the wings of a bird brushing over them.

  He inched closer, hesitantly reaching out and tracing his thumb across my bottom lip. Gentle now he'd gotten the hang of it. “You remind me of the sea...the endless storm in your eyes, the flush of sunsets in your cheeks. I see a red dawn in your lips, where I once would have set my eye and sailed into its promised light. You are all the things I loved in life, embodied. And after what I've done, I fear losing you will bring about my death all over again.”

  My lungs seemed to cave in, utterly useless for several seconds as I soaked in his words, lost to the beauty of them. And the impossibility that Varick truly loved me.

  “Now you've seen what I really am. And I'm waiting for you to leave. And still, you haven't.” His face was stoic but his eyes roared with hellfire. I felt the pain in him mirrored in me. The fact that it didn't make sense to either of us was such a relief. We each had our own demons, countering the possibility that we could ever be loved. And as I understood that, I gave in, gave everything, let the walls fall to ruin at my feet. I stripped away the solid exterior I'd lived behind my entire life, built from broken promises and the failures of others who'd done me wrong. And I let him in, let him take whatever was left. It was already his anyway, I was just done holding onto it at last.