by Cas Martin
Over time, Elizabeth had become more like her father. Monica knew that. From the start, she had never felt afraid of the other woman. But as they stood at the check in desk, she had glimpsed the Pendant of Lazarus, back in position around Elizabeth’s neck. There was no more vivid symbol than that. In her fight to convince her to come with her to America again, Monica’s main objective had been to assure Elizabeth she would be safe. When she saw the pendant again, it occurred to her that she should have sought similar reassurances.
She closed the magazine and took a sip of her wine. It was too late to worry about it now. The two of them had reached an agreement that they would both have to live with. Besides, Monica had more important things to worry about now. Dennis had called that morning and demanded her return. Far from his place to do so, she could hear the edge in his voice that meant he no longer gave a damn about protocol. He had been placated by her assurance that she was at that very moment in the process of returning.
He had been less thrilled by her announcement that she was bringing Elizabeth with her. In times of crisis, Dennis preferred for them to rely on themselves. It was a good job she made the decisions, she reminded herself. They needed all the help they could get. Especially in light of the reason for his call. More family members were sick and rumours had begun to spread that the Council of Elders had no intention to do anything other than save themselves. Monica’s absence added fuel to the fire every hour she was away. She knew he was right, but she still felt justified in leaving. She had glimpsed the depths of Elizabeth’s information as they stood there in Professor Hastings’ study. Not just of her own family, but of the others that she could never hope to gain access to. That knowledge held more power than others could ever imagine.
Elizabeth was the key to unlocking this mystery, Monica was sure of that. For good or bad, she belonged in their world. Not the safe world she had run to. Monica understood how it was impossible to hide from destiny. It had no care for what you wanted or what would make you happy. It placed you where you needed to be and right now, that place for Elizabeth was here with them.
Monica smiled at the hostess and accepted another glass of water. It was important to stay hydrated during the flight. She could already feel the tightness at the back of her throat from sitting in the pressurised cabin. She needed to be refreshed and prepared for the long hours ahead. If Dennis was right, then it would take every ounce of presence she had to convince her family they should trust her.
If they didn’t, then it would be more than disease control that she needed to worry about.
22
‘Did you know there’s a vampire at the end of your corridor?’ Garth asked as he walked through the door of Elizabeth’s hotel room. She nodded, unsurprised by his observation skills. People thought she was the hunter, but compared to Garth, she was an amateur.
‘Yeah. Only during the hours of darkness, thank goodness. She’s a present from Monica to make sure I’m safe. My god, it’s good to see you again.’ She moved to pull him into a hug and then thought better of it.
‘You too. You look different.’ It was a critical assessment.
‘So do you. What’s this?’ She pointed to a scar on the side of his face that she didn’t remember from last time.
‘Oh, that. Got a little too close for comfort one night. It was the kick in the butt I needed. I’d got careless.’
‘So you’re still tracking them down?’
‘I’m more selective now. You taught me that. But there’re still plenty of bad ones around here. Monica is the exception to the rule.’
‘I know she is. It makes it harder sometimes.’
‘I’m glad you came,’ Garth sat down on the sofa. ‘Nice place too. This must have cost you a few bucks.’
‘Monica’s paying for it.’
‘So much for neutrality.’
‘What’s the point in pretending? Thanks for your email. It’s why I’m here.’
‘I just thought I should give you the heads up.’
‘It gave me a few days to get used to the idea before Monica turned up on my doorstep. I needed that time.’
‘I didn’t know how to deal with it on my own,’ Garth shrugged. For a moment he looked like the boy Elizabeth had first met. ‘Whatever’s going down, it’s some serious shit. I don’t like it.’
‘Neither do I.’
‘I mean, do we even know if we’re safe? Or could this thing be coming after us as well?’
‘Monica has some scientist looking into it, apparently.’
‘Yeah, I know, but he’s going to be more interested in helping them than us, isn’t he? If we’re going to get sick in a month’s time, then he won’t care because he’ll be too busy saving them.’
‘Monica won’t let that happen.’
‘You say that, but we don’t know this guy. All we know is where his priorities lie, and it’s not with us.’
‘At the moment this is our only chance. How long have you known for?’
‘Not that long. Not known. Something’s been off for a couple of weeks. Then it all fell into place.’
‘Monica is afraid. She didn’t say it out loud but I could tell. It must be serious.’
‘From what she said, it’s not a nice way to go.’ Garth rubbed his hands over his face. He looked tired, Elizabeth realised. He had that weary look in his eyes that she’d seen on David. ‘I’ve actually seen someone about to die from it. Whatever it is, the effects are huge.’
‘What happened?’
‘I hit him and he’d got nothing in the tank. Couldn’t fight back. Said there were rumours that they were catching it from the humans during the feed.’
‘The blood is the one thing that binds them all. There’s no safe way of doing it. It’s not like sex. There is always going to be a risk.’
‘That’s the chance they’ve always had to take though, right? Nothing has ever hit them this hard before.’
‘Not that we know of.’
There was a pause and Elizabeth felt Garth’s eyes on her. ‘So what’s it been like on the other side?’
‘It’s been good.’
‘I didn’t think you’d be able to do it. I was proud of you when you did. It gave me hope.’
‘Hope?’
‘Yeah. That someday, maybe, I’d be able to walk away from it myself.’
‘You can walk away from it whenever you want. The streets are already safer because of you. You’ve already done your bit. You shouldn’t feel guilty.’
‘It’s not as simple as that though is it?
‘No.’
‘Are you back for good?’
‘To New York? Or the way of life?’
‘Both.’
‘Not New York. It’s not my home. Too many memories. Too many ghosts.’ The familiar streets on the drive from the airport had reminded her of David at every turn.
‘I don’t believe in ghosts. But sometimes, I know it’s crazy, I feel like he’s looking out for me.’ Garth looked uncomfortable at his sudden revelation. ‘So what are your plans while you’re over here?’
‘Help Monica in any way I can. With how little we know, I can’t plan for much more than that. What about you?’
‘I’m going to keep doing what I’ve always done. Try to stay alive. Before all this started I was thinking about going underground for a while. Maybe taking what’s left of my savings and heading over to the West coast for a while. Maybe get some sun. See if there were better options out there.’
‘LA seems a good place for vampires. Easy to get away with things.’
‘Nah, not so much. Too much sunshine. Not as popular as TV would make you believe.’
‘You really have done your homework.’
‘Like I said, you’d given me some hope. I’m still thinking about it.’
‘You can still go.’
‘What, and leave you now you’re here? That’s not fair.’
‘I’d understand.’
‘Nah, I’m not going to leave yo
u. If you’re here to see this through then I will too.’
‘Thanks Garth. It’s good to have someone on my side. Someone human,’ Elizabeth broke into a grin. ‘We’ll get through this thing. I don’t know how. But we pulled it off last time and things were worse. We can do the same again.’
‘I hope you’re right.’
‘So do I. I’m going to meet with Monica tomorrow evening. Give her the time and space to spend with the family. You know she’s always insisted that being the leader of the Giordanos was never going to be the only thing in her life. But for a little while, that’s exactly how it has to be, whether she likes it or not.’
‘Unless she wants another challenge on her hands. When you find out anything, let me know.’ Garth stood up. ‘I’d better go. I have an appointment downtown that I really need to keep.’
Elizabeth knew better than to ask him what it was. They had made a great team, but he never answered to her. He never would.
Once he left, Elizabeth flopped down onto the bed. She told herself she was safe, with her vampire guard dog in the hallway. Within seconds she was asleep, pulled under into the darkness where dreams of vampires and lost souls waited for her.
23
‘Harlan, long time no see,’ Monica used the key card issued at the front desk to let herself into the lab. The receptionist had been reluctant at first but once she realised she was dealing with MaxiData Corp’s most notorious senior executive, she jumped to attention.
Monica never used the company jet for family business, but this was an exception. It was the only way to get to Harlan and make it back to New York by midnight. The Council of Elders were going to hold a meeting and there would be hell to pay if she missed it.
She had wanted to bring Elizabeth with her, but there had been no time. Getting a foreign national on a private jet these days took twice the time it used to. Monica couldn’t wait. So she had sent Elizabeth an apologetic message promising she would be in touch the moment she landed back in New York.
‘Miss Carletto. Thank you for coming so quickly. I wasn’t sure you would be here before morning.’
‘The advantages of having a company account Harlan. I don’t think I’ve ever really appreciated it before this week. And you know you can call me Monica.’
‘I’m glad you’re here now.’
‘I hope you have something that we can use. The council is ready to go nuts unless I come up with something fast.’
‘I have something for you, I’m just not sure you’ll want to hear it.’
‘That does not sound good.’
‘I’ll try not to be too scientific. There’s some good news and some bad news.’
‘Give me the good news first.’ Monica sat down on one of the lab stools. If she remained standing, she would begin to pace before long.
‘The good news is that I’ve managed to isolate the pathogen. I’m really starting to get to grips with the way it works.’ Excitement tinged his voice.
‘That’s good, right?’
‘It’s the first step to finding out how to fight it. But don’t get your hopes up. That’s still a long way off.’
‘Is that the bad news?’
‘No.’
‘Oh.’
‘This is a little unusual.’
‘You’re telling me.’ Monica stood up then sat back down again. This was torture.
‘No, I mean, unusual in a scientific sense. The way it works. I didn’t understand it at first. It’s practically dormant in humans, at least so far. The symptoms present as a common cold or mild influenza. If it’s not passed on, it will die out.’
‘Dying out is good, right?’
‘Yes and no. That’s where it doesn’t make sense. There aren’t enough of us to sustain itself. Like anything malevolent in nature, its desire is to reproduce and take over. With us, that’s not a long term solution.’
‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
‘What I’m saying is, much as I hate to even utter it out loud, is that this virus was not created by nature. This is man-made. It’s been designed to kill us.’
‘What?’ Monica felt her legs go weak. She’d made the right choice to be seated when he hit her with that news.
‘I don’t want to believe it either. I can’t believe I’m saying it out loud.’ Harlan shook his head. This wasn’t a conclusion he had wanted to reach.
‘But who would have the power to do that? And why?’
‘Someone who knows about us. Someone who doesn’t like what we are. But who that could be, I have no idea.’
‘Are you sure about this?’
‘I can’t be sure of anything. But this pathogen is a little too perfect. I can’t find any evolutionary precedent. Biological warfare is hardly anything new.’
‘But a specific attack on our kind is.’
‘I would imagine this is the first time. Either that, or previous attempts have been unsuccessful. Bad enough to not get noticed.’
‘Do you have any way of proving it?’
‘Not in the current timescales. Is that something you want me to do?’
‘No. Surviving is more important. Once we have done that, then we can start talking revenge and retribution.’
‘So what do you want me to do?’
‘We need some kind of test for the infection.’
‘For us, or the humans?’
‘Preferably both.’
‘I need more time to calculate the incubation period. I’ll make the test for humans the top priority. Being able to safely feed will have a greater impact.’
‘That makes sense to me. The other thing I want you to do is rather more obvious.’
‘Come up with an antidote?’
‘Got it in one.’
‘I’ll do my best. But it’s not as simple as it sounds. This is not my area of expertise. I can’t think of anyone else who can help without setting off alarm bells.’
‘We should avoid that at all costs.’
‘I don’t want to give you any sense of false hope. This could take weeks or even months to do. I can’t promise it won’t already be too late for most of us.’
‘Anything you want, I will put at your disposal. Equipment, funds, you name it. The council will back me up on this. The family’s finances are in good shape. This is exactly what they exist for.’
‘What will you tell the others?’
‘I can’t lie to them, even though none of them will want to hear the truth. The council will be more interested in finding out who has done this more than anything else. You know what we’re like. I need to make sure everyone keeps a level head right now.’
‘I’ll keep working on it. Day and night if I have to. I would say that I’ll only take a break to feed, but to be honest, that’s looking less appealing now than it ever has done in my life.’
‘Harlan, I really appreciate this. If we get through this, you’ll be suitably rewarded.’
‘I already have everything I need. If I can keep doing my work out here, then I’ll be happy.’
‘You must find it difficult though?’ Monica indicated to her surroundings.
‘What?’
‘Being so isolated and remote. The town is barely two thousand people. It must make your opportunities somewhat limited.’
‘I have someone I go to regularly. She’s nice.’
‘Nice?’
‘We have a good time together. She’s not a scientist. She’s loyal and pretty. I love my work and I’m never lonely. Few of us can say that, can we?’ He looked at Monica and she looked away. For a scientist, he had good people skills. Maybe that was why she hadn’t wanted to stay with him. Their time together had been fleeting at her insistence. She stood up before her face could reveal any more.
‘Thank you again for your help. I’d better go. I can’t afford to miss the council tonight.’
‘I understand. And thank you for trusting me with this. You know, after everything.’
‘That’s okay.’ Mo
nica didn’t want to talk about it. She hadn’t then and she didn’t now. It had been a little over a year ago and she had been lonely. He had been humble, fully aware that he was asking a favour from the head of the family. It took a brave man to break protocol, coming directly to her rather than petitioning the council for an audience. It was the desire to take a risk that made him so attractive. She admired his passion for his work enough to invite him to dinner the following evening to discuss his proposal further. One thing had led to another and they had ended up in bed together.
The members of the council would have judged her if they knew. She had kept their short affair secret, even from Dennis. She had secured Harlan his dream job, far away from home. Far away from her. He had promised to repay her one day. She’d taken the words and assumed them empty. Now, it was time for him to make good on them.
She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek goodbye, against her better judgement, just to remember the sensation of his skin on hers. Before he could say anything, she turned abruptly on her heel and walked away. She was the leader of the most important vampire family in New York and she had a crisis to manage. This was not the time for naval gazing.
It was time to get things back under control.
Then she would find the bastards who had done this to her people.
24
Garth hated this place after dark. He walked the impoverished streets, each sense finely attuned to the life around him. Figures crowded doorways, bags tucked around them. Their entire lives hunched up against the cold with them in the night. Those who lived inside were home and locked away by dusk if they wanted to make it through another night. Sat away from the windows. Shots echoed in the darkness every night around here. Stray bullets killed as quickly as intentional ones.
He kept his hands loose at his sides. In these parts, it wasn’t just vampires he worried about. Those he could handle. It was the men on the corner who wouldn’t think twice about turning on someone like him. Someone who looked out of place. His empty hands let them know he was unarmed. He wasn’t there looking for trouble. Not from them at least.
