BLOODBURG

by Nyssa Renay

  Allie looked down at her ring suspiciously. “But if that spell was for my ring, how did you stop all those bullets earlier?”

  Joseph walked over to the wall, bending down to pick up his own ring before holding it up to the light. “Oh, I activated mine right before you first walked in here,” he revealed as he calmly slid the ring back on his finger.

  “How long does the spell on these rings last?”

  “Not long…a little under half an hour or so.”

  “Can you teach me that spell?” Allie asked, hopeful.

  “I can’t…I’m sorry.” Joseph sighed as he walked back over to her. “It isn’t something that can be taught. It’s a living language that changes over time…it comes to me when I need it.”

  “That’s a shame,” Allie said sadly.

  Joseph smiled and pulled out his phone, hitting a few buttons. “Marcus,” he smiled. “We could use a ride. Oh, and bring a few towels…things got a bit messy.”

  -11-

  Once Marcus had covered the back seat with blankets and towels, Allie cautiously climbed into the car, careful not to get any of Gerard’s sticky blood on the leather seats. Marcus closed the door behind her, and she watched as he and Joseph stood beside the car for several minutes talking. Allie couldn’t hear a word they said. When the conversation had finished, Joseph patted Marcus on the shoulder and they both entered the vehicle.

  “Thank you, Allison.” Joseph smiled, slowly adjusting himself on the seat, making sure his jacket wasn’t touching the leather interior. “I really couldn’t have done it without your help.”

  “No problem,” she said, her words cold and flat. “You paid me for a job and I did it. That’s that, right?”

  “Yes, I guess it is.” Joseph stared at her, squinting slightly, before shifting his gaze forward as Marcus drove away from the warehouse.

  The ride through Bloodburg was uncomfortably silent. Allie was upset with Joseph. Here she was, completely traumatized by the experience, and he acted like this was just a normal day, either ignoring or indifferent about how she was affected. Allie picked the congealing bits of blood and tissue from her hair, needing an outlet for her frustration.

  “Just wash your hair with mayonnaise later,” Joseph offered politely. “It’ll break down the chemical bonds in the blood and rinse everything right out.”

  Allie raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “Seriously? Mayonnaise? That’s all you have to say right now?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, cocking his head.

  “A psychotic alien bounty hunter just exploded all over me, and you act like it was perfectly normal!” She expelled a loud sigh. “How could you have lived on this planet for so long and not learned a thing about social interaction with humans?” Allie scowled, leaning forward to tap Marcus on the shoulder. “Since he’s not going to bother to introduce us…I’m Allie McCleary. Nice to meet you.”

  “Marcus,” he smiled, nodding to her in the rearview mirror.

  “See?” she said to Joseph. “How hard was that?”

  Marcus chuckled as Joseph fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat.

  “How do you two know each other, Marcus?”

  “Joseph saved my life after he tried to kill me.” Marcus flashed another warm, friendly smile in the rearview mirror. For a moment, Allie wondered how a man who seemed to be so patient could ever deal with somebody like Joseph.

  “Why did he try to kill you? Are you a bounty hunter, too?” she asked, anxiety bubbling up inside her chest.

  “No.” Marcus laughed. “He caught me trying to rob his house.”

  Joseph cleared his throat loudly. “Actually, it was in Europe in the late 1840s, during the Hungarian Revolution. He broke into my house in the middle of the night. I reacted the only way I knew how,” Joseph explained somberly.

  Allie flashed a horrified look toward Marcus. “What did he do?”

  Marcus met Allie’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “He beat me within an inch of my life.”

  “Well,” Joseph began, “in my defense, I had absolutely no idea he was just some young revolutionary who was in way over his head. He was only trying to find food and a warm place to hide from the Russian armies. However, I realized I’d rendered him unconscious…seconds from death…when I had subdued him to question who he was and why he’d broken into my house.”

  “He got me with one of those large ice daggers…stabbed me right though the chest,” Marcus added.

  “Yes…and it was a mistake,” Joseph huffed.

  Marcus winked at Allie in the mirror. “I like to remind him from time to time.”

  “Anyway,” Joseph grumbled. “I tried to heal him as fast as I could, but my abilities weren’t strong enough to repair or replace the vital organs that my ice spell had destroyed, so, I embedded a small crystal shard from my own body into his exposed rib cage.”

  A slight wave of nausea gripped Allie, but she still couldn’t stop herself from wanting to know more. “What did the shard do?” She stared at Joseph, hanging on his every word.

  Joseph’s smile turned smug. “Every cell in his body regenerated one thousand times faster than normal, regrowing his bones and organs in a matter of moments. That way, I could interrogate him and then kill him.”

  “Well, obviously you didn’t,” Allie added. “What made you change your mind?”

  “His story.” Joseph stared at Allie for a long time, trouble brewing behind his eyes. “You have to admit…he does look good for his age,” he quipped, nodding to Marcus. “What are you now, one hundred eighty-eight? He’s literally the oldest human on this planet. Quite an honor, don’t you think?” Joseph smirked.

  “But how?” Allie asked, still confused. “He doesn’t look more than…fifty…fifty-five at the most?”

  “His body only ages one year for every five he lives,” Joseph explained. “A side effect for having an alien artifact like my crystal stuck in his body.”

  Marcus chuckled. “He thinks of it as a gift. I think it’s more like a curse,” he said sarcastically.

  Allie’s eyes grew wide. “You mean it’s still in there?”

  “Of course.” Joseph tilted his head. “It’s the only thing keeping his body from catching up to his real age. If it was removed, Marcus would rapidly turn into a pile of dust.”

  Allie gasped. “That’s horrible.”

  “It’s a small price to pay to have been able to live as long as I have,” Marcus added. “But there are times when Joseph makes me think about ripping it out myself.”

  “Trust me, Marcus.” Joseph smiled. “The feeling is mutual, my friend.”

  Allie was taken aback by the interaction between the two of them. Until now, she’d considered Joseph to be heartless; only concerned about himself. He seemed to desire separation from humankind. Although she felt that Joseph could help the world, for some reason, he chose to avoid it. She wondered why.

  Before she could ask any more questions, her phone buzzed in her back pocket. Allie grabbed the phone and looked at it, then shoved it back in her pocket.

  “Kevin?” Joseph raised his eyebrows.

  “Yes,” Allie sighed, frustrated. “I can’t deal with him right now.”

  “Good.” Joseph smiled. “I don’t think he’s right for you, Allison.”

  “I thought you didn’t care about stuff like that?” she asked, puzzled by his concern. “Besides, I still haven’t decided if I want to see him again, anyway.”

  Joseph sighed. “Suit yourself.”

  “What’s with the attitude?” Allie cocked an eyebrow.

  “The man used you to case a bank that he and his brothers were going to rob,” Joseph argued. “Did you forget?”

  “Of course, not,” she spat. “But he just tried to call me…even after you made him forget everything about the bank. Which means he actually likes me.”

  “He used you, Allie,” Joseph repeated coldly.

  “So did you,” she s
aid, returning his tone. “But I’m still here, right?”

  Joseph’s face melted into a defeated smile as he nodded in surrender. “You’re right, it’s up to you.”

  “Oh, I like you, Ms. McCleary.” Marcus chuckled. “It’s nice to see someone handle his stubbornness like you can,” he said, looking at Joseph in the rearview mirror. “You really need to keep her around.”

  “No,” Joseph objected. “I’ve put her in enough danger already.”

  “What about you, Marcus?” Allie asked. “Why do you stick around and work for him?”

  Marcus laughed. “Because it’s the best job I’ve ever had.”

  “Marcus, stop encouraging her,” Joseph ordered. “What we do is too dangerous.”

  “Why? Because I’m a woman?” Allie huffed.

  “No,” Joseph replied dismissively. “Because Marcus and I have been doing this for a long time. He’s used to risking his life and facing dangerous situations. You’re not. Besides, you’ve got a sister to think about. How do you think she would feel if you were killed tonight?”

  “Don’t put this back on me,” Allie argued. “You know damn well that you don’t care about that. It’s all about how guilty you’d feel if I was killed while helping you. Am I right?”

  “Yes.” Joseph’s expression was cold and serious.

  “Then, it really isn’t up to you,” Allie said stubbornly.

  “You could use a plus one for tomorrow’s auction,” Marcus offered.

  “Auction?” Allie asked. “What kind of auction?”

  “An illegal black market auction that will be attended by some of the most wealthy and dangerous people in the world,” Joseph said, testing her resolve. “Let’s just say that most of the attendees of this little festivity can’t find north on a moral compass.”

  Upon hearing Joseph’s description, Allie’s stubbornness melted away into a quick wave of nervous energy. “What do they auction?”

  Joseph smiled. “Whatever people will buy. The highest quality drugs, stolen art…even people. And there, the sky isn’t the limit.” He laughed, thinking of the debauchery that took place at the auctions. “Once, I even bought a piece of my own spaceship, which, as you know, crashed on Earth hundreds of years ago. I thought it was buried for good out in the Midwest, but three hundred and fifty years later, the daughter of some wealthy son of a bitch thought she’d open a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. So, Daddy bought the land and built her a restaurant on top of my crash site, not knowing what was underneath it.”

  “Did they dig it up when they built the place?” Allie asked.

  Joseph let out deep laugh. “Heavens no, but all the customers kept getting sick by the time they left. They thought it was just the food.” Joseph shook his head. “You know, I’ll never understand why Daddy’s little princess thought it was a good idea to save money by frying everything in the same vat of oil. You’d order a nice plate of chicken wings and they’d wind up tasting like bad fish.”

  “Then how did they find your ship?” Allie asked.

  “Every customer who made the mistake of eating there wound up with a massive dose of radiation poisoning from the decaying engine core. It’s like the combination of an alternator and a battery. The core has a half-life of one thousand years, and when the EPA came in and tore the place down, they managed to dig it up. About a week later, I got word that a piece of alien technology was up for bidding at the next auction. I had no idea it was mine until I got there. Cost me almost every penny I had to get it back.”

  “So, what are you hoping to find at the auction tomorrow?”

  “I’m not exactly sure, but I do know there will be a valuable piece of the spaceship that brought the most recent group of bounty hunters to Earth. It was blown up shortly after it landed.”

  “Will you be able to tell whose ship it was?” she asked, trying to keep up with the conversation.

  “No. I already know,” Joseph explained. “Emperor Vizatchi likes to fund expeditions for a small select group of bounty hunters whenever he learns of someone with a price on their head hiding out in a remote location. Think of it like a bunch of rich big-game hunters getting the chance to hunt and kill other human beings without any implications or punishments…the ultimate rush. And for some, it’s more like bragging rights for the up-and-coming bounty hunters who are trying to make a name for themselves.”

  “But who destroyed the ship in the first place?”

  “They did it themselves. There was a deal made between the three bounty hunters and another target like me. He was willing to trade information about the rest of us in exchange for safe passage from the planet. Let’s just say it didn’t work out too well for him. The hunters reneged on the deal and blew up the ship as soon as it took off.”

  “Wait a minute!” Allie chimed in. “Are you saying there are other aliens living on Earth besides you?”

  “Of course!” Joseph chuckled. “When I first arrived here, I set up a global network to monitor the entire planet so I’d know if I was being tracked. Not only did my system work, but over time, I ended up helping other alien refugees remain hidden and safe. We’ve always found ways to protect each other from all sorts of dangers, but this time, we were betrayed by one of our own and the hunters managed to get through our defenses.”

  “Do you think any of them will be at the auction?”

  “Maybe.” Joseph sighed. “But the main problem is that I have absolutely no idea who or what I’m dealing with.”

  “Then…how will you know who they are?” Allie asked nervously.

  “I won’t.” Joseph smiled. “The good thing is, they don’t exactly know who I am, either. They have no idea what I look like, which is why having you—a lovely young lady—tagging along with me—a rich older man—would help me blend in like I’m just one of the crowd.”

  Allie was a little disheartened to be going to this auction, only to act like some old man’s mistress or prostitute, or worse yet—a gold-digging bimbo. But despite all of that, she was slowly starting to understand why Marcus had stayed around all these years. There was a feeling of wonderment from learning about the unknown through Joseph. She couldn’t tell anyone about anything she’d seen in the last few days—not even her sister. And now, she had a chance to see beyond the plain and ordinary world she’d always felt trapped in.

  “Sounds easy enough,” Allie commented. “Just don’t tell me I need to dye my hair blonde, or anything crazy like that.”

  Joseph laughed. “No. That’s not necessary. Besides, I wouldn’t want to have to sell you to anyone. Seems that most of the blondes at these auctions aren’t dates. They’re items waiting to be sold to the right bidder.”

  Suddenly, Allie felt guilty for making that joke. “That’s horrible. Why don’t you do something about it?”

  “Because it will continue to happen whether I try to stop it or not,” Joseph said coldly. “You have to understand that the people who run these auctions only care about money. That’s it. You protest anything, and you’ll either end up dead or auctioned off yourself.”

  “But, surely with your power—”

  “No, Allison.” His tone was stern and harsh. “If I do anything to try and stop these people from running this type of operations, I won’t be able to go anywhere in this world without constantly being hunted down. I just can’t take that risk. If you’re going to come with me, I need to know you won’t do anything stupid and give me away.”

  Allie sighed heavily. “I won’t…I promise.”

  “Thank you.” Joseph forced a smile. “I know it’s hard to understand, but this is a glimpse of what happens in the real world behind closed doors, and it’s not a pretty sight. I’m sorry.”

  The car slowed to a stop in front of Allie’s apartment building.

  “We’re here,” Marcus said calmly.

  “Remember, Allison. This is totally up to you,” Joseph said sincerely. “I could use your help with this, bu
t I don’t want to put you into an uncomfortable situation.”

  “I know that now.” Allie nodded. “Can I think about it?”

  “Of course.” Joseph smiled. “The plane leaves tomorrow morning at nine. Let me know by eight.”

  “How?”

  “If you want to come with us, use the card I gave you in an ATM and withdraw exactly one hundred and fifty dollars. If I don’t see the transaction, I’ll know you’ve decided not to go. Deal?”

  “Deal,” she said, offering her hand.

  Joseph held her hand a little bit longer than she expected. “Thank you, Allison. I mean it. You were great today, and I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “You’re welcome,” she replied politely.

  Marcus opened the door for Allie and she slowly got out, feeling at peace with how she left things. Allie thanked Marcus and started toward her apartment building, not looking back. As she heard the car drive off behind her, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of loyalty to Joseph for saving her life. She knew it would be the hardest thing to ignore when trying to make her decision.

  Once inside her apartment, Allie pulled out her phone and texted Kevin. Sorry I missed your call. Something came up. Give me a call tomorrow.

  She was exhausted from the day’s events. She tossed the phone onto her nightstand and then started her nightly ritual. Nice long shower; cup of cocoa; get into bed. As she went about this process, Allie continuously checked her phone, but there was no reply from Kevin.

  It was still early evening, but Allie knew her sister would be closing up her shop right about then, and she decided to give Patience a quick call.

  “Hello, hon!” Patience answered. “How are you feeling? Did you get some rest today?”

  “Yeah, I’m good,” Allie lied. “Still a little tired and run down, but I’m all right.”

  “That’s good! Do you need me to get you something to eat? I can be there in about twenty minutes.”

  “No, but that’s very sweet of you.” Allie smiled, feeling loved and grateful to have her sister there whenever she needed her. “I’m actually just finishing up my cocoa and about to go to bed for the night. I’ll give you a call tomorrow sometime, okay?”