by P. A Ross
Scarlett took tentative steps over, unsure of the reaction she would get, and I was relieved and happy that she still wanted to talk with me.
“Scarlett, I am so sorry,” I blurted out quickly before any stupid ideas stopped me from apologising.
“I know, you were just angry,” she replied walking over and sat beside me, placing a comforting arm around my shoulders.
I leaned into her body and placed my arms around her and felt comforted by her warmth. Maybe it would be okay after all, as long as I had someone who cared and was willing to stand by me, I thought. I never did for Giles, but Scarlett might for me, and I felt terribly guilty for what had happened to Giles and his family.
My phone beeped again and another message arrived. It was a picture this time, and intrigued I opened it up. It took awhile to work it out, but I could make out red hair and some flesh and limbs entwined. My brain finally made sense of the images, and realised I was looking at a picture of Scarlett lying beneath Barry. Both semi naked, with Barry turned towards the camera grinning, and Scarlett flat on her back expressionless. The message came with the photo.
“I told you she was one of ours.”
I sat up sharply and thrust the phone into her lap.
“What’s this?”
She stared at the picture for an age, and then her body recoiled as the moment of recognition took place. Mary grabbed the phone from her and deleted it quickly and put the phone down on the table.
“What is it?” I asked again already fearing the answer.
“It was an accident.”
“Oh he just fell on you.”
“No, I was angry with you. I got drunk, and I went over to have ago at them. But he was nice. They told me they thought you were someone else. They never meant it to go so far. If only you hadn’t hit them and run away,” she said.
“I must have had too much to drink too build up the courage, I don’t remember much else,” she continued.
“So you slept with him,” I stated bluntly.
Scarlett got up and started walking away avoiding eye contact.
“Sorry, I never meant to, it just sort of happened” she said.
“Bitch,” I shouted, jumping up thrusting the chair to the floor and pushing her hard in the back. She began stumbling forward head whipping back, and feet tripping one another throwing her forward and bashing her head into the wall. Scarlett crumpled onto the floor, and her hands grabbed her nose as Mary rushed over and put her arm around her. Scarlett turned around and a trickle of blood was running out her nose from beneath her hands and staining her lips red.
“You bastard,” Mary screamed.
Scarlett looked at me in horror, tears in her beautiful light green eyes welling up and then they burst out rolling down her face. Tears of pain and anger? They would have been easier to cope with. The look on her face, I couldn’t work it out, was it surprise! Shock! No her eyes glazed over and mouth rolled down, it was heart break.
Mary put her arm around her lifting her to her feet and helped her out of the room. They didn’t look back. Scarlett was sobbing, and Mary offering words of comfort as she helped her walk out of the room weaving through the tables and chairs.
“I’m sorry,” I shouted in vain, but I knew it was pointless.
I was left alone to face the rest of the nightmare by myself.
I stared back down at the picture I had been drawing of subject X trying to think of what to do next. The words revenge circling her started to spin anti-clockwise around the outside of the picture, going faster and faster until they were a blur and the hand holding the needle started coming out of the page offering its solution. I blinked a few times to shake it off and the picture of her smiled baring her fangs and eyes turning fiery red. I shook my head and looked back again, and the picture had returned to normal.
CHAPTER 9
I was really angry now. I’d lost everything and realised what I’d done to Giles not just on that day, but all those days afterwards when I didn’t talk to him. I tried to justify it all this time I had done the right thing, looked away on that day and looked away every day afterwards as well. The rage was alive and burning again, and images of subject x flooded back into my mind.
“Blood and anger,” she spoke into my mind over and over again.
I remembered the image of her, in her true form, a terrifyingly beautiful vampiric rage with blood red eyes, contorted muscles and snarling fangs, smashing at the mirror that separated us. My mind was made up. I had nowhere else to turn, no one else who could help. I didn’t want to be scared anymore, I didn’t want to be a victim anymore. Things were going to change. The formula would either kill me, or give me vengeance.
I knew where the gang hung out at night, a park in the centre of town. Scarlett and Mary had told me to avoid it at night. After what had happened with Scarlett, I left college early and ran home to prepare myself. I removed the needle from the suitcase and placed it on top of my stereo and turned on some loud and dark music. The needle vibrated slightly as the bass shook the room, and I grabbed a change of clothes from my wardrobe. I took off the clothes I had recently bought when I tried to be more like Scarlett, when I tried to fit in with the crowd and tried to be more fashionable. I dragged out of the corner of the wardrobe the dark and dingy clothes I had worn on that first day at college. I was back to that same person I was before all this started. Dirty frayed and ripped jeans, army boots, black t-shirt and an old beaten up black leather jacket. Then I realised I was actually better off as the person on the first day of college, life was much worse now I had found love and been betrayed by her, and viciously beaten and humiliated and bullied at college by my peers. The music blared out into my room and the song, “Charlotte the Harlot,” came on, and I sang along changing the words to, ”Scarlett the Harlot.”
It was starting to get dark. I turned the music off, slipped the needle into my pocket and stormed the down stairs. I slapped some peanut butter in between two slices of bread as the sunlight faded through the kitchen window. I slipped out and off to the park, occasionally feeling my pocket for the needle and munching on the makeshift sandwich.
The park was on the edge of a rough area, and I knew I could get into problems just being there, let alone looking for trouble. I walked along the pavement at the side of the road that ran along the edge of the park, and found a tree to hide behind. I leant behind it taking glimpses of them in the playground area drinking and smoking. Scattered around the park were their bikes and skateboards they dumped on arrival. The playground area where they gathered was set right at the back next to a pocket of trees and fence running all the way down the back. Houses on either side of the park enclosed it in, with just the route across the grass to the pavement and road as the only way in and out.
Their dark hooded figures were wandering about as the car headlights were occasionally lighting them up. They were sprawled out around the playground equipment. Two on the swings, one sat at the bottom of the slide, two on the table facing the swings and one walking about talking on his mobile phone. They occasionally got up and passed around the drinks and smokes, and throwing the empty cans against the railings, and flicked out cigarettes onto the grass. Their faces lit up from using their phones and the beeping of text messages bounced about to one another. Barry was on the swings, rocking back and forth as he dragged on a cigarette and his mountain bike leaned against the playground railings. He was easy to spot as the others congregated around him and deferred to his presence. They were all there and most importantly the ones who attacked me, Barry, John and Tony. All the time my hand was around the needle in my pocket, and I was rolling up and down my palm, knowing all I had to do was plunge it into my arm, and I would have my revenge. Yet I still couldn’t do it. The fear of it killing me was holding me back. I didn’t know for sure what would happen if I took the injection, it might not even be the formula, but some other drug. Even if it did work, I wasn’t sure I was ready to be a murderer.
Just then Barry fin
ished his cigarette and jumped over the railing onto his bike. He cycled off out of the park, and I dipped behind the tree. I turned back and watched for a couple more minutes, hoping he would return when my phone beeped.
“Call her,” the message read from Mary.
She was right I wanted to apologise for hurting Scarlett, but the image of her with Barry was burnt into my eyes. Every time I closed them, it stared back at me taunting and laughing. It was worse than the mugging, the bruises were healing, but her betrayal would never leave me. I realised how Giles felt about me when I betrayed him. Even if I could speak to him now, I doubt he would want to. I looked up from the phone, and Tony and John started heading towards me. Time to go I thought, maybe in a few days I could begin to forget what Scarlett had done and try and rebuild our relationship. I could forgive her and hoped one day Giles would forgive me. I turned to walk off, but I walked straight into someone standing behind me. Barry grinned as he head butted me on my bruised nose. I clutched my hands up to protect it as fresh blood ran out and staggered backwards from the pain. Hands grabbed at my arms twisting them around my back and turning the wrists over themselves. Pain shot through my arms, and Tony and John, man handled me around, and frog marched me back to the playground area where the rest were eagerly waiting. Barry followed on behind occasionally smacking the back of my head.
“Watching us boy, do you want more. I have got some plans for you if you enjoy making films.”
Tony and John threw me into the waiting clutches of the rest of the gang.
“Tie him,” Barry commanded.
They pushed me down onto the floor, in amongst the cigarette ends and empty drinks cans, and pushed my back onto the railings. They used their belts to tie my arms to the railings, and I felt the damp floor soaking into my trousers, and it stunk of beer and urine. I felt nauseous, wet and scared.
Barry walked in front of me, crouched down and looked me straight in the eye.
“What do you think you’re up to,” he asked, slapping me around the side of the head.
The rest of the gang began laughing as a pack.
“Why you here,” he asked again more aggressively than before.
He punched my chest and the air burst out leaving me breathless.
“I don’t know,” I answered pathetically, not able to give a proper answer.
“Consequences new boy. You date my girlfriend and hang about watching me, then things get worse.”
He punched again.
“Scarlett was fun, wasn’t she boys.”
The rest started laughing again and making vulgar gestures with imaginary women.
“Check him.”
Andy rummaged through my pockets throwing its contents in front of me. Wallet, phone, keys and needle. They grabbed some of the stuff each and Barry picked up the needle.
“What the hell is this for?”
I just looked at him not sure what to say. Barry nodded at Andy and he punched me in the face, and my head banged off the railings.
“What.. is… it.. for,” Barry said again, but slowly this time as if I didn’t understand the question.
In my bruised and dazed state I said the first thing that came to mind.
“Diabetes,” I slurred out of my damaged mouth and head spinning.
Barry threw it to the floor and started to stamp on it.
“NO,” I shouted.
Barry laughed, ”why?”
“If I don’t get my injection I could die.”
Barry paused with his foot above the needle.
“It would be murder, that’s a big step,” I said.
Barry stopped grinning, put his foot back down away from the needle and picked it up and walked over.
I was on a roll and next words just blurted out.
“I need to take it in two hours time not now. It would work, but would make me feel sick.” I lied.
“Like what.”
“Stomach ache and loss of bodily control,” I added for extra effect appealing to his nasty side.
“What wet your self,” he laughed.
“eeer, no, no,” I looked away sheepishly with my best acting.
“You do don’t you. Well get ready here comes the doctor,” he said kneeling in front of me, while the others pulled up the sleeve of my coat and shirt.
I suddenly changed my mind, scared of the consequences either way and shouted at them to stop.
”No, No, please don’t it, you will regret it,” I shouted, but they laughed not understanding my protests were for their own protection.
Barry stabbed the needle in without ceremony, and then pushed the formula into my blood stream. He stood up and stepped back with his phone in hand ready to film again. The formula mixed in with my blood and the changes started, the genetic formula reassembling my body into its new code. Explosions fired across my body, and I shook violently as my muscles and flesh contorted as they spasmed into their new alignment. My heart raced trying to keep the blood flow running to my altering body, feeding it the fuel to change. The puncture marked on my arm shrivelled away, and the flesh glowed red with a burning heat that flooded across my entire body. The violent shaking made it look like I was having a fit, and the gang started laughing again, and Barry was grinning excitedly to be capturing it all on his phone. My heart thumped harder and harder into my chest, and I breathed heavily trying to keep the oxygen coming into my muscles as they struggled to hold onto their shape. It was becoming impossible to keep going, as the momentum was tearing me apart. I began hyper ventilating trying desperately to ride it out. But my heart seized, spasmed, and pain shot down my left hand side. I screamed in pain from the heart attack and the burning flesh, and everything went black. My eyes closed, and my senses shut down totally. I drifted off into a black silent world. It was all over. I was at peace at last. The formula had solved my problems. I was dead. I didn’t feel pain anymore or had to worry about revenge or love.
It didn’t last. My heart hit back stronger, and my lungs burst back to life. I sucked in massive gulps of air, bringing my oxygen levels back to normal, re-fuelling my body. I was reborn as a vampire. My eyes were still closed, but I heard multiple hearts beating heavily around me. My eyelids flashed open, and the gang stared at me curiously. Heat signals from their bodies glowed as orange waves around their silhouettes, and a yellow light pulsed from their hearts flashing as a signal in the dark. I narrowed my eyes to focus in the gloom, and the individual spots and hairs on their faces stood out. My nostrils were assaulted by the smell of cheap aftershave, tobacco and alcohol. Bad breath and body odour poured out from Tony, and chips and cigarettes on Andy. Their hormones, testosterone I guessed, drifted out from their bodies in the background of the other odours. They were all excited and wanted more violence from their thoughts in my mind. Hurry up, Barry was thinking. Images of violence raced across Andy’s mind, pictures of his fist in my face.
The coldness of the air and damp grass was gone, and I felt no pain from my bruises. The leather bonds around my arms would easily break if required.
“Revenge, revenge, my darling,” subject x’s strange voice and image prompting me.
Her raven hair flying around, arms stretched out, lips and cheeks bloodied red. The mist was swirling around me, tingling sparks through my arms and legs, shooting through my spine and my desire grew. The mist smelt musky and it washed through my nose, soaking it receptors and triggering my sexual hormones. I was connected to her again. I want to get up and go, and find her, and embrace her as a vampire.
”Come on do something, that was boring,” Barry shouted.
Barry cursed in frustration.
“Kick him,” he shouted again.
Tony stepped across quickly and snapped a powerful kick into my stomach.
I snapped out of the trance quickly, and the vampire in me took charge. Everything changed, my whole body raging as the muscles reacted to the vampire aggression. It was like my flesh ripping itself apart from the inside as my eyes burned as they changed
to blood red. The fangs cut through my mouth and stab into the air as I began snarling and growling at them from the pit of my stomach. I knew what they saw as I had seen it only days before when she launched herself at the glass. Their mouths wide open and bodies stuck to the spot unable to comprehend the transformation in front of them. The belts and railings ripped apart as I freed myself from my leather bondage. I stood up and tensing all my muscles together roaring a wave of stale air and spit, that blasted across their faces forcing them backwards. Only Barry had the sense to have already turned and run away. The rest were meat.
John and Tony were the next to run off. They were scattering too quickly to get them all, and I would have to let Barry go and focus on the others I thought. A trail of yellow light from their increased heart beats traced across the dark park, and the orange glow around their bodies turning a darker colour as they warmed up from the fear and the sudden burst of energy. As the adrenaline kicked in for them to take flight, their scents were leaving a unique invisible path identifying each of my potential victims. Fear was their only emotion, and mine was something beyond anger and rage, a primeval instinct to kill. The images in their minds were of me as a vampire; fangs snarling in the air and eyes raging with fire. I smiled.
I needed to stop them getting out the park, and I threw one of the broken railings at Tony as he ran. The railing spun and arched around hitting him on the back of his head dropping him to the floor. I threw another railing at John, and it penetrated through the back of his skull, he was dead all too easily. He fell to the floor, with the railing sticking straight up in the air embedded in his skull. I picked up Andy’s scent next and followed his light path running quickly past. I tensed my hands and claws ripped through the ends of my fingers, but I barley registered the pain, as I sprinted past swinging back with my claws slicing his throat in one easy action. The blood sprayed out as he tumbled to the floor and bleed out onto the grass. On to Mike, he was near to the trees and thought he was safe, but the yellow pulse was like a lighthouse drawing me towards him. I sunk my claws into his skull and yanked back to stop him from running on. I was stronger than I realised and his head tore off his shoulders with spinal cord flailing behind it as his body ran on for a few yards under its own momentum. Blood pumped out the top of his body like a fountain, as it slumped onto the grass sliding onwards and staining the grass red around his headless body. I dropped his head on the floor as I picked up George’s scent heading into the trees at the back of the park. I sniffed the air and followed it through the trees and circling around his back. His fear grew as I closed in, and his heart was hammering. I was quick and silent as I approached from behind, but he turned in time and stabbed with a knife. The stabbing knife was in slow motion, and I swiped my fist across knocking the knife out of his hand. I speared my clawed hand through his throat, seizing his windpipe and ripping in out. The blood burst out splattering my face and chest, as he dropped dead to the mud. The life force in Tony sung to me from across the park and I blazed across to him on the wet grass as he slowly tried to get up as he crawled away.
