by Jen Pretty
When everyone had spoken their piece, we moved to the dining room and had a meal together in remembrance of Drake. Some of the stories circulating were funny; some were heartfelt and some probably not suitable for a funeral. It seemed Drake was a bit of a wild man in his twenties.
I wondered who would speak of me when I died and what they would say.
Death always brings up my dark past and the pain of losing my parents.
After dinner, I walked the halls for a while and then stopped at Trevor's room. He was alive. That counted for something, but his progress had been set back. It was strange that the vampire couldn’t just heal himself, but it seemed that starvation had a long-lasting impact on them, making them slow to recover and weak for months, sometimes years, according to Vincent.
Trevor was sitting propped up on his bed when I opened his door after hearing his soft, “Come in.”
“How are you feeling?” I asked him, sitting in the chair beside his bed that had been occupied by Cedric every other time I stopped by in the last twelve hours. Trevor and Cedric often watched TV together or played card games during the day while I slept before the rogues came, now they seemed inseparable.
“Hi Lark,” he smiled weakly. I’m fine.” He was not fine. He was healing as slowly as a human. Vlad said he might even need antibiotics if he didn’t heal fast enough. I smiled anyway like I was glad to hear he was ‘fine.’
“That’s good. Where is Cedric?”
“He went to check in with Vincent. I’m sure he will be back.” He paused for a moment and bit his lip. “He keeps saying that someday I’ll be a warrior because I’m such a fighter, but I don’t feel strong at all, Lark. I feel weaker than when you saved me.”
Now the truth came out. “I know, but you will recover from this. I think you will be a great warrior someday too.” I was getting emotional sitting here with the brave little vampire. He was so sweet and human. Durga pushed forward, squashing my sadness and replacing it with anger.
“I should go. I have some work to do. You take it easy, ok?”
“Thanks, Lark.”
I squeezed his hand and walked out before Durga was able to take over. I wasn’t sure how much longer she would let me wait. It had only been 12 hours, and already Durga was restless. I needed to decide. Wait, or go.
I went back to my room and sat cross-legged on the floor. I was frustrated with waiting, and the itch under my skin was getting worse. I hoped meditation would help and if I happened to come across a certain Hindu God while I was meditating, maybe he would have some advice. I pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly and set my posture, my hands on my knees, fingers and thumbs touching. I grounded myself in the moment, forgetting about the vampires and the rogues. I drifted.
✽✽✽
“Why have you come back? I am very busy,” said the God of Destruction as he ran his hand over the snake that was climbing up his head. I had no idea what he could be doing that he was so busy, but I do not know the business of Gods.
“Shiva, sir, uhm, I guess I just wanted to find out if I’m supposed to be waiting or if I should be out hunting.”
“Hmm,” he pondered as the snake went down his arm and wrapped playfully around his wrist with a flick of its tail. My full attention was on the gross snake, and I shivered.
“I suppose it would be best to have assistance, on this occasion. I assume that is why Durga waits.”
“She is still pushing on me though.”
“If she wanted you to go, you would already be gone. Now, good day young Meadowlark.”
✽✽✽
“Vincent, come on. I can’t just keep sitting around here waiting. Durga is restless. We should be out looking for the rogues who did this and cleaning up the city.” My skin was crawling. I was sitting on the stupid tiny couch in his office while he looked over some papers. I had already paced around and checked out a bunch of his boring books and peered over his shoulder until he told me to sit down or he would break my legs. I didn’t think he was serious, but I hadn’t tried sitting down for a few minutes. It wasn’t helping either.
“Calm down, Lark.”
I scowled at him and then slid off the couch onto the floor. It was cold and comfortable. Ok, not comfortable, but no less comfortable than the bugs crawling under my skin.
A knock at the door made me pause in my squirming.
Vincent stood up and walked to the front of his desk and then leaned back and crossed his arms. “Come,” he said, the smirk on his face made me raise an eyebrow.
The door opened, and the spitting image of Vincent walked through. I looked at him and back to Vincent and back to the man who entered.
“Hello brother,” Vincent said. They looked like more than brothers. They looked like twins.
“Vincent. I hear you are having some problems,” the man said. His eyes drifted to me, still on the floor of the office, and he smiled, revealing his rows of sharp teeth. “Who have you got here?” the man laughed, still staring at me. I got up and dusted myself off. Ok, great first impression, Lark. Whatever.
“Vaughn, this is Lark. Lark, Vaughn, my younger brother.”
Vaughn extended his hand to me. “Much younger.”
“By two minutes,” Vincent chimed in as Vaughn took my hand and then brought it up to his lips and kissed my knuckles.
“So, you are the new Durga. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lark.”
“Thanks,” I said, still stunned by the resemblance.
He chuckled and turned back to his brother.
“I brought two teams. I hope that is enough. Have you found them yet?”
Vincent cleared his throat and turned on business mode. “No, we’ve been staying in. I want to have as many teams on the streets as possible. I’m guessing they have twenty or more rogues now. It’s not safe to send out single teams. We can combine teams and send out everyone. I’d like no less than eight per team.”
I was bouncing on my toes now, ready to go.
Vaughn chuckled again when he looked over his shoulder and saw me. “She was the same way.”
“Who?”
“I knew a Durga once. The woman was younger than you when she came into her powers, but she said bugs crawled on her skin when she had to go hunt.”
“Ya, it’s not cool, can we go? Please?”
“Why don’t you go meet the teams in the conference room and we will be down soon to address everyone,” Vincent replied.
“Fine.” I walked out of the office and slammed the door harder than necessary. Whatever. This waiting was going to make me crazy.
In the conference room, every vampire on the property was mulling about. They were chatting and introducing themselves to the new vampires that I assumed had come with Vaughn.
“Lark!” Drew called from the other side of the room, and everyone immediately stopped talking and turned to look at me. I waved awkwardly and shuffled through the vampires to my team. The new vampires all whispered, but I heard the word Durga a couple of times. I guess news had travelled. Gossipy vampires.
“Thanks, Drew,” I scowled as I stopped beside the loud mouth.
“Sorry Lark,” he replied.
“It’s fine. They will probably get introductions when Vincent and Vaughn come down. Did you guys know they are twins?”
Vlad chuckled. “I obviously did, but they so rarely get together, I bet most vampires have no idea.”
“That’s crazy, I’ve been here for a long time and didn’t know,” Cedric said, proving Vlad’s point.
Just then, the vampires in question arrived in the conference room, and we all turned to listen.
“Good evening. I would like first to welcome the vampires who have come to help us take out a dangerous threat here in our country. Your assistance is appreciated. I expect all my vampires to make them feel welcome. You are all going out tonight to hunt for a pack of rogues. We believe there could be upwards of twenty in the group, so it is imperative everyone is on their toes. Do not get cornered by t
hem.”
“You will be divided up among the teams already in place,” Vaughn said to his vampires. “I would like two each per American team. Jones, you will also go with Durga since we have an uneven number.”
Vaughn looked to Vincent who nodded his approval.
“Very well, please see Vlad for your assigned grid area. Do not stray from your section of the city unless another team needs help,” Vincent finished.
It was bizarre to hear them speak. Vincent had worked hard to lose the accent that Vaughn and Vlad shared. Vaughn seemed maybe a bit easier going and quick to smile, but otherwise, there was little to tell them apart.
Vlad handed out the grid area for each team, and we all walked to the garage and loaded up, heading out in different directions at the end of the driveway.
Our team had three extras, so we were squished in, but it didn’t matter. I was finally going hunting. Durga was doing a happy dance on my insides. Psycho.
“Where to, Lark?” Drew asked from the back seat. I had wedged in the middle with Vlad, while the Romanian team leader took shotgun, but Vlad didn’t seem to mind. Drew was stuffed between two giant Romanian vamps in the back seat. I tried to control my laughter when I saw the beach bum wedged in there.
“I’m not feeling anything, Drew. I’ll let you know if I do,” I replied.
We circled our corner of the city, Drew harassing me every few minutes like an impatient child on a road trip. I told Cedric to park when I couldn’t take it anymore. Sitting still was not Durga’s strong suit, and she was so close to the surface that I wasn’t sure which one of us was in control. No wonder my body took over and locked her out when I meditated.
My feet hit the pavement hard and kept moving. The vampires kept up to make sure they didn’t lose me, but I was nearly running. I tried to steady my breathing but was fighting a losing battle. If I didn’t find a rogue soon, I was going to lose my mind.
A half hour of walking later, I felt a tug. It was pulling me down an alley, so I let it take me. My blade appeared in my hand, telling me I had finally found a target for my rage and bloodlust.
“We go in first,” the giant Romanian said with his massive mitt on my shoulder, holding me in place.”
Before I could even think to react, my knife was at his throat. “It’s mine,” said my voice.
The Romanian vamp backed off and let me lead through the door.
It was nearly pitch black, but I shuffled in and was confronted with a large living area with four couches facing a TV. Durga’s senses could smell the vampires that had once been here, but they were gone now.
The vampires went through the building and cleared all the rooms. The place was empty. It was a dead end, but it confirmed the idea that many vampires were living together.
Back out on the street, Vlad took a phone call. My hearing may have improved, but I still couldn’t hear what was said on the other side of the phone call.
“We have to go back to the house,” Vlad said, looking at me. I knew something had happened. Turning on my heel, I led us back to the van. I wanted to stop and ask Vlad what it was, but I could feel it in my bones. I had to get back there. Now.
Cedric drove fast, but we weren’t the first team back, the driveway had three other vans already, and there were a bunch of motorcycles in the yard too.
I took the front steps two at a time and tried not to wince when Drake wasn’t at the door.
I heard talking down the hall that led to Vincent’s office, so I went that way. There was a crowd of witches and warlocks spilling out the door.
I pushed through and entered the office. “Lark,” Vincent said. Coming over and resting his hand on my cheek. He had this look like he was worried about me. I was fine.
“What happened?” I asked looking around for Frankie, “Where is Frankie?”
Cindy handed me a letter. Scribbled in black marker, it said ‘Bring us Durga, and we will give you the warlock.’
I narrowed my eyes at Cindy.
“What? I just brought it to you. I’m not saying we should hand you over. I’m just delivering the message.”
I turned back to Vincent. “How could they take him? He is stronger than a bunch of vampires.”
“A powerful vampire could block his telepathy, and if they knocked him out before he could call magic, they could, in theory, capture him.”
“Trace his phone,” I said, starting to panic.
“We did and found his motorcycle in a parking garage downtown,” Cindy replied. “His phone was with it.”
“What the fuck was he doing there?” I yelled, getting mad.
The vampires in the room had the sense to back up, but Cindy didn’t until she noticed my knife had appeared in my hand.
Then she took a few big steps back and said: “He has been trying to find the rogues. I’m not the target here, Durga.”
“Bitch,” I muttered as I turned and stormed out of the office. Durga may have control, but we were on the same page. The hallways cleared as I marched down them. Vampires hustled out of the way when they saw my red eyes.
My pulse was beating so hard I could hear it in my ears. The rogues had gone too far.
In my room, I sat down on the floor and crossed my legs. I needed to calm down, or I would blow up the house.
I shut my eyes and tried to calm my breathing. It was ragged and harsh for several minutes before I got ahold of it and started to bring it back down.
I let my mind blank. I wasn’t sure if I would get to Shiva or not, but I needed help.
✽✽✽
“You were just here,” was all Shiva said as he stroked the snake that was draped around his shoulders.
“I need to find Frankie. I need your help.” I kept my eye on the snake as it rose and looked me in the eye. It was much closer to me than usual. Its tongue was poking out and then sliding back in its scaly mouth only to poke back out quickly.
“Awe, he likes you. Do you want to pet him?”
Ugh. No. I did not want to pet the dark god's snake.
“No, thank you. Maybe some other time.” I leaned away from the serpent, and it recoiled, wrapping swiftly around the deity’s neck.
“Very well. You already have the power to find your friend. Just focus, Lark. Goodbye.”
✽✽✽
My eyes opened, and I closed them again, focusing as he had instructed. I slowed my breathing, and as it slowed, my senses became more focused. The scents of my soaps and shampoos in the bathroom beside me, the feel of the hard floor beneath me, the light rustle of my hair caught in the breeze of the open window. Suddenly, my senses went beyond that, and I could feel the vampires in the house. All of them. I knew exactly where they were and what they were doing,
I moved my senses out of the house. Pushing against the walls until a bubble burst in my head. I found the vampire who worked in the garage and kept the vehicles in good working order. I found a vampire in the yard, the gardener, trimming the hedges. I felt the vampire at the gatehouse. He was playing a game on his phone.
I took another deep breath. Encouraged by my success and let my mind drift some more. I felt the vampires in the van that had been out hunting and were now two blocks away, on their way back to the house. They were disappointed they hadn’t found any rogues and worried about the reason they had been called back home.
I found a vampire at Arnie’s. I didn’t recognize him, but Durga didn’t care about him, so neither did I.
I stretched my senses as far as they would go and finally felt it. Like a tickle at my consciousness, they were so far away, but every single one of them made Durga’s blood boil. There were at least thirty vampires in a warehouse tucked away from the docks, in a fenced and secured area.
And every single one of them had to die.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Quiet, Everyone.” Vincent’s authoritative voice cut through the chatter and all the vampires, witches, and warlocks that crowded the room turned and faced him.
“Thank you. Now
, you all know your objectives. Everyone will be in position by dusk. No vehicles within five miles of the site, so we don’t tip them off.
“The witch had been in contact with the vampire who has taken up a leadership role within the rogues, and they believe that Lark will be there at midnight to exchange herself for Frankie. We move in at 11 pm. Go.”
With that final word, everyone began moving towards the door. The plan was simple. We would all leave the house by various means and as covertly as possible so as not to alert anyone who might be watching the house. I told him I would know if a vampire was hanging around. Now that Durga and I had found a way to stretch our powers, I could sense vampires through the whole city.
While we were coming up with our plan, Vincent pointed out that vampires often had a human around willing to help. Humans were ridiculous. Hanging out with bloodthirsty monsters of their own free will. We decided, in case humans were watching the house, we couldn’t all go storming out the front gate.
The house mechanic was taking a few vans out and parking them in another mechanic’s garage a few blocks over. He frequently used the shop for maintenance, so we hoped it wouldn’t be suspicious. The vans, however, would be packed full of vampires, hidden on the floors.
That left only a dozen or so people to take the bus to the location. Because the house backed onto a woodlot that was only accessible by way of the gated homes that surrounded it, most of us would be leaving through the woods and coming out on the other side. We would use the backyard of a lawyer who was currently travelling with his family and wouldn’t notice us trespassing. I was part of that group and would manage the team taking the bus since I was familiar with the routes already.
I walked out the back door of the house followed by a mixed group of warlocks, witches, and vampires. As we crossed the backyard, Vincent sidled up beside me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him. Vincent had never gone out at night since I’d known him. He had said once that someone had to keep the pieces in motion and that task fell to him.
