by Brandon Hale
“The capital city,” Cooper said. “That’s London, right?”
“Used to be,” Jesse said with a nod.
“How fast can I get there?” Cooper asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” Jesse said. “I’m sure she has an army guarding her.”
“Tell me!”
“There’s an airport here in Da Nang,” Jesse said. “If I’m your escort, I could get you somewhere close. Not in the capital city because you’re a human and they probably have a record of you, but I could get you to a nearby town. From there, we could probably breach the city wall.”
Cooper leaned back in his chair. “Are you offering to help?”
Jesse sighed. “I guess I am.”
Cooper cocked an eyebrow. “You just sighed. Why’d you sigh? You’re dead.”
Jesse shrugged. “Habit. Do you want my help or not?”
“Of course I do,” Cooper said. “When can you leave?”
“Right now,” Jesse said. “I’m sure Linh has clothes I could borrow.”
“Why would she have men’s clothing?” Cooper asked.
“Do you really want me to answer that?”
“No,” Cooper said. “Go get your clothes so we can get moving.”
“What about your bodyguard?” Jesse asked.
“Huh?”
“Your bodyguard,” Jesse repeated. “He’s standing in the street, just outside the door. He was also hiding in the jungle when we were on the beach. I’m assuming he’s new because he doesn’t understand just how well a vampire can see, hear, and smell.”
“Jesse,” Cooper said, “what are you talking about?”
“You really don’t know?” Jesse said with a laugh. “I guess that means he’s a stalker, not a bodyguard.”
“Honestly,” Cooper said, “I have no idea who would be following me.” He paused as understanding crawled across his face. “Is he a Topian?”
“Topian or vampire,” Jesse said. “Hard to say which.”
Cooper looked at the open door to the street. “Carl, is that you?”
Carl stepped into the restaurant.
“What in God’s name are you doing here?” Cooper said.
“Just thought you might need some help,” Carl said. “You’re a human in vampire territory. I figured you could use a little backup. Besides, it’s not like I have anything else to do.”
“Carl, go home,” Cooper said.
“I don’t have a home,” Carl said. “Or have you forgotten?”
“Sorry,” Cooper said.
“Wait,” Jesse said. “I know you. You’re that nerdy kid.”
“Thanks,” Carl said.
“How did you get turned?”
“Travis got him,” Cooper said.
Jesse’s eyes widened. “Travis is free? You guys were idiots for keeping him alive.”
“I don’t disagree,” Cooper said.
“Are we doing this or not?” Carl asked. “If you’re going to rescue Lily, you could use a Topian.”
Cooper looked at Jesse. “You good to take one more?”
“It’s your show,” Jesse said. “You sure you can trust him? He is a vampire after all.”
“I’m a Topian,” Carl said. “I’ve never killed.”
“Boy,” Jesse said, “it didn’t take you long to get brainwashed by their bullshit. You’re a bad guy now, Carl.”
“I’m not,” Carl argued. “We’ve proven that I’ve retained my humanity. I’m not a vampire yet.”
“Just a matter of time, boss,” Jesse said. “All it takes is one bad day. Lose your resolve one time and it’s all over.”
“Are we ready to go?” Cooper asked impatiently. “You can debate Carl’s willpower on the way.”
“I’m ready,” Jesse said. “Just let me get some clothes then we can get the hell out of here. I was getting tired of the heat anyway.”
Chapter 21
Finding Lily
“I demand you let us see Lily Baxter!”
Scott and Ellie stood on the street in front of the president’s office. Three Topians stood between them and the front door.
“I’m sorry, sir,” one of the Topians said. “The prisoners are not available. Rest assured, they’re fine.”
“It’s been over twenty-four hours,” Scott said. “You will let us see our friends or things will get… ugly.”
“I wish I could, sir,” the Topian said. “I’m sure they’ll be available soon. We’re treating them well, but until the president speaks to them, I’m afraid they aren’t allowed to have visitors.”
“Where’s Oliver?” Scott asked. “Let me talk to Oliver.”
“I’m afraid the president is unavailable as well,” the Topian said.
“This is horseshit!” Ellie said. “Scott, let’s go get our friends. They obviously aren’t planning on giving them any kind of a fair trial.”
“Ma’am,” the Topian said, “I wouldn’t advise that.”
A single howl came from somewhere in the distance.
“What the hell was that?” Ellie asked.
“Sometimes the werewolves wander out of the forest,” the Topian said. “Nothing to worry about. They never enter the city. It’ll roam around the areas outside the walls for a bit, then it’ll go back home.”
“Twelve hours,” Scott said. “You have twelve hours to let us see our friends. After that, all bets are off.”
“I’ll pass on your message,” the Topian said.
Ellie looked at Scott. “No way, Scott. They’ve already had twenty-four hours. Don’t give them more time.”
“We’ll be at our plane,” Scott said to the Topian. “Contact us as soon as our friends are available.”
“Scott, no!” Ellie said.
“Will do,” the Topian said.
Scott looked at Ellie. “Come on.”
Ellie crossed her arms. “No.”
“Ellie, come on,” Scott said again.
“I’m not moving until I get to see Grung and Lily.”
Scott grabbed Ellie’s arm. “Dammit, Ellie, let’s go.”
As Scott pulled Ellie away, she looked back at the Topians and said, “This isn’t over! If you guys hurt my friends, you’re dead! Do you hear me? You’re dead!”
***
“Dammit, Ellie,” Scott said as he and Ellie got further away from the president’s office, “you have to start trusting me.”
“You totally caved,” Ellie said. “Our friends are prisoners and you just gave up.”
“When did I give up?” Scott asked.
“Just now,” Ellie said. “You were there.”
“Specifically, Ellie,” Scott said. “At what moment did I change my demand?”
“Right after that wolf howled,” Ellie said. As soon as she said it, she stopped walking. “That was Grung, wasn’t it.”
Scott smiled. “It sure was.”
“Damn,” Ellie said. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay,” Scott said. “Your freak-out made the whole thing look more realistic.”
“So what now?” Ellie asked.
“Now,” Scott said, “we round this corner then jump over the wall. That howl came from somewhere beyond the city. Grung clearly escaped. Hopefully Lily’s with him. When we get outside the city, I’ll answer his call.”
“Then what?” Ellie asked.
“If Lily’s with him, we have to find Travis,” Scott said. “He’s been quiet for a full day now. That worries me.”
“Why?”
“It means he’s planning something,” Scott said. “And whatever he’s planning is going to be bad.”
“I’ll be honest here,” Ellie said. “I’m having a hard time giving a damn. Let him kill em all, I say.”
“Can’t do that, kid,” Scott said. “The Topians would just blame us. They’d say he’s working for us. If we don’t stop him, he’ll cause an all-out war.”
“So?” Ellie said. “The Topians betrayed us. They’re clearly not our friends.”
/> “Some of them betrayed us,” Scott said. “More importantly, we can’t win an all-out war. We have North and South America. They have the rest of the world. We have to fight for peace because it’s our only chance.”
“Our only chance for what?” Ellie asked.
“Survival,” Scott said.
“Okay,” Ellie said. “So if Lily’s with Grung, our next step is finding Travis.”
“Yeah,” Scott said. “Of course, it’s a pretty damn useless next step because I have absolutely no idea where Travis might be.”
***
Travis sat on the bed of the motel room, sipping a glass of blood he’d ordered from the motel’s diner. “This stuff is disgusting,” he said. “How do you people live on this?”
Three uniformed Topians – two men and a woman – sat on the floor, leaning against the wall of the room. All three wore handcuffs that came from their own belts.
“It’s probably just old,” the female said. “I doubt the owners of this motel pay attention to expiration dates.”
“Shut up,” Travis said. “The question was rhetorical.”
“Sorry.”
“Okay,” Travis said, “let’s start with introductions. I’m Travis. Of course, you probably already guessed that. Left to right, tell me your names.”
“Christopher.”
“David.”
“Rose.”
“Good names,” Travis said. “A bit boring, though.”
“Thanks, Travis,” Rose said.
“Don’t be a smartass, Rose,” Travis said as he hopped off the bed. “Now, I’m sure you all know why I brought you here. You were guarding the streets around the president’s office. I’m hoping you have information about the whereabouts of Lily Baxter. I respect that you’ve probably sworn some kind of oath to the president, but please believe me when I say my determination to find Lily is far stronger than any oath—”
“They’re taking her to a facility about forty miles outside the city, on the coast near a village called Allhallows,” the Topian named Christopher said. “I know because I’m scheduled for guard duty there tomorrow night. The exact location is on the GPS unit attached to my belt.”
“Christopher!” Rose snapped.
Christopher shrugged. “Just saving time. We all know he’d have gotten the information sooner or later.”
“You could’ve at least tried to resist,” David said. “We took an oath!”
“Didn’t see the point,” Christopher said.
“Honor is the point, you git!” Rose said.
“Where’s the honor in getting tortured for no reason?” Christopher said.
“I think it’s pretty damn disrespectful,” Travis said.
The three Topians looked at him.
“Seriously,” Travis went on. “I was all excited about the torture and you totally took the fun out of it. It’s like using a cheat code on a video game. Sure, you make it to the end of the level faster, but there’s no sense of accomplishment.”
“So you’re not going to torture us?” Christopher asked.
Travis laughed. “I’m totally going to torture you. It just won’t be as much fun.”
“I studied you,” Rose said.
Travis looked at her. “That’s weird.”
“In college,” Rose explained. “I did a big presentation about you.”
Travis grinned. “Okay, it’s not weird. It’s neat.”
“I must admit,” Rose said, “I’m surprised you’re about to torture us.”
“Lady,” Travis said, “if you think I’m above torturing people, you really did a shitty job on that presentation.”
“I don’t think you’re above it,” Rose said. “I have no doubt you’d torture us to get the information you need. I just didn’t know you enjoyed it. You love the kill and you love the power, but I’ve never read anything that suggests you get your kicks by torturing people. From everything I’ve read, I would have guessed you find it rather boring.”
“I launched a nuclear attack on millions of people,” Travis said. “You think they all died instantly?”
“But torture wasn’t your goal,” Rose said. “Death was the goal. Their suffering was incidental.”
“I once made Lily Baxter kill her own friend,” Travis said.
Rose shook her head. “Doesn’t count. Everybody knows you’re obsessed with Lily Baxter.”
“Am not,” Travis said.
“Why are we here?” Rose asked.
“Shut up,” Travis said.
Rose laughed. “Admit it. You’re not into torturing people. You’re not evil. You’re chaotic. There’s a difference, you know.”
“Please kill her first,” Christopher said. “She’s always saying shit like that.”
Travis picked up a stake from the bed. “Eh, she’s probably right. I’ve never really been into torture. Don’t get me wrong, I love screwing with people’s minds, but the physical torture… just seems like a waste of energy.” He drove the stake into Rose’s heart.
“Bloody hell!” David screamed.
“Hey,” Travis said as he pulled the stake from Rose’s chest, “you didn’t want torture. I’m giving you that. You should be grateful.”
“Why bother killing us?” David said. “It’s not like we can warn them about you. You can leave us here. You can—”
Travis slid the stake into David’s heart, then pulled it out and stepped toward Christopher.
“I gave you what you wanted,” Christopher said. “That has to count for something.”
“It counts for nothing!” With a frightening snarl, Travis wrapped his hand around Christopher’s throat. “Vampires are supposed to be hunters. We’re killers. We belong in the shadows. You people… you live in the light and you beg for hand-outs. It’s unnatural. You represent everything I despise about this new world.”
“We respect human life,” Christopher said. “I don’t see how that’s unnat—”
Travis staked him, then walked toward the motel door. “Idiot,” he said as he left the room.
***
The Topian guard outside the city wall was bored. His name was Ted and he’d been there for over twelve hours. He was working a double shift because several other guards were being pulled for some kind of special assignment.
While the double shift was annoying, Ted was more annoyed that he hadn’t been chosen for the assignment. If the rumors were true, the assignment had something to do with the president himself. Several of Ted’s friends had been chosen, but Ted was left guarding the damn wall.
He was thinking about how nothing interesting ever happened to him when a werewolf dropped from the darkness above.
It landed directly in front of him. A young human female was actually riding on its back. Before he could draw his weapon, the wolf grabbed him and threw him against the city wall.
Ted slammed against the wall, then fell to the ground. He scrambled to his feet and looked up to see the barrel of the young woman’s gun.
“Hands up,” the girl said. “If you try to call for help, you’re dead.”
Ted raised his hands.
The werewolf let out a long, frightening howl.
As the girl walked toward him, gun firmly in hand, Ted longed to go back to ten minutes ago, when life was boring.
***
“I’m glad you got my message,” Grung said as he, Ellie, and Scott walked along the edge of the city wall. Scott and Grung wore uniforms from Scott’s backpack. “I was worried you wouldn’t hear it.”
“Are there no damn entrances?” Scott said.
“Makes you think the humans really are prisoners,” Ellie said. “I’ve not met a single human since we arrived in Topia.”
“They’re definitely there,” Grung said. “I can smell em.”
“I wonder what it’s like in there,” Ellie said.
“Probably pretty good,” Scott guessed. “Don’t forget, the Topians invited us over. They wouldn’t have done so if the place looked lik
e a prison camp.”
“It’s a country club in there,” a familiar voice said from behind them, “but that’s just because this is their show-city. In other parts of the world, things aren’t quite so pretty.”
They all spun around to see Travis smiling back at them. “Shoot him,” Scott said.
“Lily dies if you shoot me,” Travis said. “Fact.”
“You have Lily?” Ellie asked.
“No, but I found out where they’re taking her,” Travis said. “She’s probably there already.”
“Tell us where she is,” Grung snarled.
“Not gonna happen,” Travis said. “But I’ll show you.”
Scott pointed a gun at Travis. “Screw this. He won’t be able to pull a wooden bullet from his chest. Ellie, when he drops, take off his head. We’ll have Lily kill him later.”
“She’s not at the president’s office,” Travis said. “She’s not even in the city. If you stop me, you’ll never get to her.”
Grung began to growl.
“Where is she, Travis?” Scott said.
“I don’t understand why you people are so pissed,” Travis said. “We’re on the same side here.”
“We are not on the same side!” Ellie screamed. “Not now, not ever!”
Travis smiled. “Is that anger because of your daddy?”
Ellie fired her gun.
Travis moved just enough for the wooden bullet to smash into his shoulder instead of his heart. “That hurt!”
Scott reached over and pushed Ellie’s gun down. “Stand down, soldier. We all want him dead, but Lily’s life is more important.”
Travis pointed at Scott. “What he said.”
“Take us to her,” Scott said. “Now.”
“Sure,” Travis said. “You’ll probably want to put your clothes in your little backpack and get your wolf on. Keeping up with me won’t be easy, but the clock’s ticking.”
Scott looked at Ellie. “When we turn, just climb onto Grung’s back and hold on tight. He’s not wearing a backpack.”
“When we get there,” Travis said, “don’t bother trying to kill me. If you get all distracted with me, it’ll just get Lily killed. Got it?”
