Day Soldiers (Book 4): Evolution

by Brandon Hale

  “You haven’t fed on a human,” Grung said.

  “Exactly,” Carl said. “With the others, he wanted them to be powerful as soon as possible, so he let them feed right away. But he turned me because of some misguided sense of friendship, so there was no rush to feed me.”

  “So you still haven’t fed?” Ellie asked. The hope in her voice was unmistakable.

  “No,” Carl said, “and I’m gonna be honest here… it’s torture. Every minute, it gets harder to resist.”

  “So let’s lay it all out here,” Cooper said. “When you’re turned, you’re not really a vampire until you drink human blood.”

  Carl shook his head. “I’m not a vampire until I’ve killed a human. Drinking blood isn’t enough. I have to take a human life.”

  “And until you do,” Scott said, “you still retain some of your humanity.”

  “That’s what Travis thinks,” Carl said. “And since the sun didn’t kill me, I think he’s right.”

  “Maybe you’re like Travis,” Grung said. “The sun doesn’t hurt him either.”

  “That’s why I had to see Lily,” Carl explained. “Power objects hurt Travis when he was still human. At least that’s what he claims. And we know channelers can hurt him. Finding Lily was the only way for me to know I’m not like Travis.”

  “What about the bald guys from the war?” Cooper asked. “When they turned a human, that person was a monster almost instantly.”

  “According to Travis,” Carl said, “they’re not true vampires. They’re animals. Because they’re so far removed from the true vamps, their blood is more like a virus. Travis says it’s dirty. When they turn a human, that human is contaminated. There’s no process.”

  “They really are a different species,” Scott said.

  “Sort of,” Carl said. “They’re the descendants of the pure vamps. For centuries, the vamps like Cassius stayed hidden. They rarely made new vampires. But the ones they made hundreds of years ago continued to make more vamps. And those vampires made more vampires. With every generation, the bloodline became less pure. By the time the war broke out, most of the world’s vampires were the bald guys. They were monsters, infected by an undead virus. It made them perfect soldiers because they had no will of their own.”

  “How human are you?” Scott asked.

  “I don’t know,” Carl said. “I know I’m not evil, but beyond that, I have no idea.”

  “Are you immortal?” Ellie asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  “How strong are you?” Grung asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  “This is big,” Scott said. “It changes everything.”

  “What do you mean?” Grung asked.

  “Topia,” Scott said. “It changes everything we know about Topia.”

  “Topians aren’t evil,” Cooper said. “Not inherently, anyway.”

  Scott nodded. “The ones who haven’t killed are like werewolves or humans. Basically, they’re just people with the capacity for good or evil.”

  “No,” Grung said. “We fought against Topians. The final battle in the war was almost entirely against Topians. And channelers were hurting them. They were evil.”

  “They were soldiers,” Scott said. “I’m sure Cassius wanted them at the peak of power. I’ve no doubt he gave them humans to kill before he took them into battle.”

  Cooper shook his head. “But the Topians just living in the towns… the ones who never killed anybody…”

  “If what Carl is saying turns out to be true, they were just people,” Scott said.

  “That’s bad, guys,” Grung said. “When we were on the run during the war, we cleared dozens of towns. We went in and just slaughtered every vamp we saw.”

  “Topia wasn’t even born yet,” Scott said. “We were fighting for humanity. What we did was right.”

  “But if they weren’t evil…” Grung said.

  “Inherently evil,” Scott said. “All this means is they have the capacity for good. Besides, werewolves aren’t born evil and we killed plenty of werewolves. It was a war, Grung. I don’t think we did anything wrong.”

  “So what now?” Cooper asked. “Other than the American continents, the entire world is populated by Topians. Creatures that, up to today, we assumed were monsters. How do we defend humanity by destroying an entire race of people who aren’t monsters?”

  “Holy shit!” Scott said. “That’s why they released the video. That’s Cassius’s plan.”

  “I think I see where you’re going with this,” Grung said.

  “He wants us to come to Topia,” Scott said. “He’s hoping we’ll send Day Soldiers. He wants us to determine, on our own, that Topians aren’t evil. After we’ve made that determination, how can we possibly still fight a war with them?”

  “He’s trying to dismantle the Day Soldiers from within,” Grung said. “He’s using peace to win a war.”

  “Or just maybe,” Cooper said, “he’s actually trying to build a better world. I mean, he’s systematically purging the evil from the vampires of the world. Maybe Cassius isn’t the enemy we thought he was.”

  Scott and Grung glanced at each other, then turned back to Cooper.

  “Nonsense,” Scott said. “Cassius doesn’t give a shit about good or evil. He doesn’t give a shit about vampires, werewolves, or humans. He cares about power. Creating Topia was best way for him to gain absolute power. The only thing standing in his way is the Day Soldiers. And now I think he’s found a way to eliminate that obstacle.”

  “Leo,” Ellie said suddenly.

  Everybody turned to look at her.

  “It just hit me,” Ellie said. “That’s why Lily was acting so crazy. Leo was one of the pretty vamps, and she killed him.”

  “Yeah,” Scott said. “That’s why. Leo and Lily were inseparable. They loved each other dearly. When Leo turned, Lily killed him.”

  “You’re remembering it wrong,” Grung said. “I killed Leo.”

  “I know that,” Scott said. “Lily gave the order, though. In her mind, she killed him. And she never felt an ounce of guilt for it. By ordering his death, she thought she was saving his soul.”

  “But if my dad still has a soul…” Ellie began.

  “Right,” Scott said. “If your dad has a soul, it means Lily might have killed her best friend. It means she killed Leo, not some monster that had taken over his body.”

  “He was the first pretty vamp we ever saw,” Grung explained to Ellie. “We had no idea why he looked different. We just knew he was a vamp.”

  “Lily killed him because she loved him,” Scott said, “but it has haunted her every day since. This new information… I can’t imagine what it’s doing to her.”

  “I know what it’s doing to me,” Cooper said. “I think it’s time to end the war.”

  “The war has been over for sixteen years,” Grung said.

  “No,” Cooper said. “We’ve not had any major battles, but we never stopped fighting a war. We’ve been training soldiers and strategizing nonstop. We’ve been preparing for the next inevitable battle. Hell, they invited us to come visit and we assumed it’s a new battle strategy.”

  “That’s because it is a new battle strategy,” Scott said. “Cassius isn’t trying to usher in a new peace, Coop. He’s just working toward his goal of ultimate power.”

  “So what?” Cooper said. “If his plan brings world peace, does it really matter why he’s doing it?”

  “It matters,” Scott said, “if the price of peace is the enslavement of humanity.”

  “They don’t look like slaves to me,” Cooper said.

  “I thought you quit,” Grung snapped. “Why are you still here?”

  “Don’t worry,” Cooper said. “I’m leaving. I’m more sure than ever that it’s time to end the hostilities. I will be no part of an organization that kills innocent people, and I’m convinced Topians are no more monstrous than humans. Vampires were monsters, sure, but we’re not dealing with vampires any
more.”

  “Screw that,” Grung said. “Changing their names doesn’t change what they are.”

  “I agree,” Cooper said. “Thing is, it’s not just their names that have changed.”

  Before Grung could reply, a speaker beside the cell beeped. Grung pressed a button beneath it. “What’s up?”

  “It’s me,” Lily’s voice said. “I’m on my way to the weapons room. Can you meet me there?”

  “Sure thing,” Grung said. He looked at Cooper. “I was tired of this conversation anyway.”

  “We’ll finish this later,” Scott said to Carl.

  Carl nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  As Scott, Grung, and Cooper started to leave, Ellie said, “Guys, I’ll catch up.”

  Scott stopped and turned around. “Ellie, that’s not a good idea.”

  “Yeah,” Grung said. “We don’t know if he’s telling the truth. If he’s not, we don’t want him getting inside your head.”

  “I’m an adult, guys,” Ellie said. “I lead an entire team of vampire killers. I think I can handle this.”

  To everyone’s surprise, Carl was the next to speak up. “They’re right. I could be lying. You have no way of knowing.”

  “Shut up,” Ellie said. She turned back to Scott. “Go. I’ll catch up. Stop treating me like a kid. I know this is a vampire.”

  Scott looked at Grung questioningly.

  Grung shrugged. “She’s a grown-up.”

  “Okay,” Scott said. “Don’t stay long and come straight to the weapons room when you’re done.”

  “Will do,” Ellie said.

  Ellie waited until the others were gone, then she turned and looked at Carl. She started to speak several times but stopped before any words came out.

  “You want to ask me something,” Carl said.

  Ellie shook her head. “No. I want to tell you something.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Stay away from my mom and my sister,” she finally said.

  “You don’t think this is real,” Carl guessed. “You think I’m faking it.”

  “I don’t care if it’s real,” Ellie said. “Whether my dad is in there or not, there’s no place for you in their lives. If they know you’re still walking around, they’ll never move on. They’ll never have peace. If you really are my dad, you’ll understand I’m right. You’ll stay away.”

  “Of course you’re right,” Carl whispered. “I’ll stay away. I promise.” He paused, then added, “But what about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “You know I’m walking around,” Carl said. “How will you move on?”

  “Give me your hand,” Ellie said.

  Carl slowly reached his right hand through the bars. Ellie took his hand and wrapped both of hers around it. “You’re cold,” she whispered.

  Carl nodded. “Yeah.”

  A tear welled up in her eye then spilled over and trickled down her cheek. “You’re cold because you’re dead.”

  “Yeah,” Carl said.

  “That’s how I can move on,” Ellie said.

  Without another word, she turned and walked away.

  Chapter 9

  Departures

  As Ellie approached the weapons room, she could hear Lily and Cooper arguing from behind the closed door.

  “I think it’s a ridiculous idea,” Lily’s voice said. “You know too much about the Day Soldiers, Coop. If vampires find you there, they could turn you and—”

  “They can’t turn me, boss,” Cooper responded. “I’m a channeler, remember? And I promise you, I’ll die before I give them any information about you or the Day Soldiers.”

  “That’s it,” Ellie said as she opened the door. “I’m sick of this being-in-the-dark shit.”

  Lily turned to her and smiled. “Glad you could make it.”

  “What’s going on?” Ellie asked. “With Cooper, I mean. Clearly, he’s doing more than just quitting.”

  “Not sure how that’s any of your business, kiddo,” Cooper said.

  “He’s going to Topia,” Lily said. When the others looked at her, she shrugged and added, “She’s part of this team. She deserves to know.”

  Ellie looked at Cooper. “What the hell, man?”

  “I’m not just traveling to Topia,” Cooper said. “I’m going to Vietnam. I think there’s somebody there who might have answers.”

  “Jesse Merrickson,” Ellie said. “The vampire who fought with you in the last major battle of the war.”

  Cooper nodded. “You know your history. I want to find him because he was a full vampire and he wasn’t evil.”

  “You guys really need to get over this good and evil nonsense,” Ellie said, “because it doesn’t matter.”

  “Of course it matters,” Cooper said. “It’s the only thing that matters.”

  “No,” Ellie argued. “Topia represents the end of human civilization. Who gives a damn if they’re good or evil? We’re not holy warriors. We’re not fighting to stamp out evil. We’re fighting for the survival of the human race. Whether or not they’re ‘evil’ doesn’t change that.”

  “It doesn’t change our decision to fight,” Cooper said, “but it does change how we fight. And more importantly, it opens the door to negotiations. If they’re not inherently evil, negotiating a peace is suddenly an option.”

  “No way,” Grung said. “They’re a different species, Coop. Negotiation won’t work. Somebody’s gotta be the dominant species. Eventually, that’ll come down to war or slavery. Right now, it’s slavery.”

  “The humans in Topia don’t act like slaves,” Cooper said.

  “That’s because they’re well-treated slaves,” Grung said.

  “Whatever, guys,” Lily said. “Cooper, if you want to run off to Vietnam, go ahead. We don’t own you. I’m just disappointed you’d waste so much time on something so pointless.”

  “You’re probably right,” Cooper said, “but I have to try.”

  “Okay,” Lily said. “You try. Now, if we can move on… Grung, I have all the vamp killing weapons I’ll need, but I don’t have any nonlethals.”

  “Why do you need nonlethals?” Cooper asked.

  “Werewolves,” Ellie guessed. “If you’re going to the Colorado area, you’ll have to go through werewolf territory.”

  “Right,” Lily said. “I need a way to stop them, but I don’t want to kill them if I can help it. I’ll be invading their territory, after all.”

  “I think I have exactly what you need,” Grung said. He went to a large closet on the opposite side of the weapons room.

  “It’s funny you’re giving Cooper so much shit when you’re doing the exact same thing,” Scott said. “This is a colossal waste of time.”

  “I think you’re a colossal waste of time,” Lily snapped.

  Ignoring her comment, Scott said, “Lily, we need you here. I’ll be giving a speech about that damn propaganda video tomorrow. Really, I should’ve already addressed it, but the Travis stuff set me back. We don’t know what kind of fallout is going to come from that. We need you here, Lily, not on some vision-quest in the middle of the Colorado mountains. We can find other ways to test your abilities.”

  “No,” Lily said. “I have to test myself in the field. I don’t want some lab experiment. My inability to harm Carl changes everything. I have to know if it’s me and the only way I can be sure is by killing vampires. Lots of vampires.”

  “I think you’re being obsessive,” Scott said.

  “I’m not,” Lily said. “Look, I’m sorry about how I acted earlier. I really am. I think you all know why this is bothering me.”

  “Yeah,” Scott said quietly.

  “I need this, Scott,” Lily said. “I have to know if it’s me. We know the bald vamps are inherently evil. If I can kill them, we can decide where to go from there.”

  “Killing them won’t really tell us anything,” Scott said. “Even if you still have your power, it won’t necessarily mean Carl’s good.
It’ll just mean your power doesn’t affect him.”

  “It’ll be a start,” Lily said. “Besides, that nest needs to be wiped out, so it’s not like I’m just off doing my own thing. It’ll be productive.”

  “I still think it’s a bad idea,” Scott grumbled.

  “Scott,” Lily said, “deal with it. I swear, if you keep whining about this, I’ll shoot you with whatever werewolf weapon Grung brings me.” Scott started to respond, but Lily put up a finger and said, “I mean it. I put a crossbow bolt in your head once, so you know I’ll do it.”

  “Do what?” Grung asked as he walked back to the group. He held a small pistol.

  “Nothing,” Lily said. “Whatcha got?”

  Grung handed her the pistol. “Tranqs. Each clip has twelve shots. I have a total of three clips, so that’s thirty-six shots. Make them count.”

  “And they’ll drop a werewolf?” Lily asked.

  “Theoretically,” Grung said.

  “Okay,” Lily said. “That’s not very reassuring.”

  “There’s enough juice in those tranquilizers to kill a rhino,” Grung explained. “I’m pretty damn sure that’s enough to knock out a werewolf, but it hasn’t been tested.”

  “Why not?” Ellie asked. “It’s not like you don’t have any werewolves to test it on.”

  “I just put them together last month, when you and Carl got assigned to Colorado,” Grung said. “Before that, I didn’t really see a need for werewolf tranqs. The werewolves have honored their agreement and stayed in the woods. Once you got assigned to those mountains, though, I knew there was a chance you’d have to venture into their territory. Since then, I just haven’t had time to test it.”

  “So there’s no chance it’ll kill a werewolf?” Lily asked.

  Grung shook his head. “No chance at all. They contain no silver. The only question is whether or not it’ll knock em out.”

  “Let’s find out,” Lily said. She pointed the gun at Scott and fired. The dart shot into Scott’s arm.

  “Dammit, Lily!” Scott said, just before falling to the floor.