The Chosen Ones

by Lori Brighton

“You sure you wouldn’t rather go to your home compound where you were born?” Kelly whispered as she lay beside me in the vegetation. “You have a sister and brothers there, right?”

  Home? I had never felt at home there behind those walls.

  A gnat swarmed my face, but I didn’t dare reach out to slap it away for fear the movement would draw unwanted attention from below. “No. We need Tom on our side, and his compound is closer. It just makes sense.”

  I’d told her about my family one sleepless night, but was surprised she remembered. She’d had an older sister who had been killed before her, so she probably didn’t understand why I wouldn’t want to save my family first. But Tom was my family; I was closer to him than I’d been to anyone else. Besides, I had a bad feeling this wasn’t going to work.

  Below, Tom’s compound lay nestled between two hills. We could see into the fenced area, the people milling about, doing their jobs. They were ants down there, just waiting to be crushed by the beautiful ones. So completely clueless. They had no idea what was to come. We were far enough away that none of them would notice us, but for the dhampir standing guard with their super human senses. It had been almost a month since I’d seen Tom, but it seemed like years and years ago. A dream.

  “This is a damn suicide,” Tony muttered next to Kelly.