Chapter 12
Jake
The Riker Mansion
May 7, 1995 1:46am
Jake sat cross-legged on his blanket as the vampire began his tale.
"I will not bore you with the tale of my early human years. To be honest I have trouble recollecting most of them. I have been an immortal far longer than I was ever human. In comparison, those years are little more than a blink of eye. I will tell you that I was once a ruler of a great and powerful nation. It is my opinion, that history judges me much harsher than I deserve. True at times I was cold, even heartless. Nevertheless, I was fair. I did not learn to the find humor in life until long after my human death.
“As I grew old in human years I decided I had had enough of the corruption of those around me, always clamoring and positioning to take my seat. A seat I never wanted to begin with. I belonged on the battlefield leading my legions into glory! Not in the dealings with corrupt politicians trying to increase their own wealth! My place was with my men. So shortly after the death of my son, I turned my kingdom over to those I trusted most. Among them was my adopted grandson. He was a kind young man that seemed to care for the masses a great deal. Therefore, I left him in my stead and took my leave.
“Wandering into the wilderness I prepared for death. It was there that my Maker found me.”
“After two weeks alone with nothing but the snow, trees, and the beasts as my companions, I was on the edge of death. I had not eaten in nearly fifteen days and had gone without water for at least four or five. I lay there looking up into the bright stars above, praying to the Gods that my legacy be a good one. I had not always been a good man, but I had tried my best to be righteous.
“I was at my weakest, mere breaths from death when he found me. His shrouded form stood over me blocking out the stars. I remember thinking that he was Pluto, the God of the underworld come to take me for my judgment." The vampire grew quiet for several seconds.
"He was far worse than the God of the underworld.” Again, he paused. “By the Gods he was terrifying!”
Jake leaned forward resting his arms around his knees. “Who was he? I mean did you ever learn his name?”
“No. I have no idea why he chose me . . . He was massive, taller than any man I had ever seen. His red hair hung down around his shoulders like a mane. His eyes glowed the darkest red of any immortal I have ever known.”
“Did he tell you what he was going to do? Did you choose to become a vampire?”
“No, I was given no choice in the matter. At first, he toyed with me, like a child torturing a small animal. He broke the bones in my arms and legs with his bare hands, as if they were twigs. He placed his massive hands on either side of my skull and squeezed until my skull cracked.
“As the darkness finally crept in on me and he allowed me to die, I lost all feeling in my body. Only a vague awareness of what was around me remained, that is until he bit into me. His fangs sank deep into my neck puncturing my skin. My lifeblood spilled from me by the gallon. He lapped at it like a dog drinking water.”
Jake shivered in disgust.
“I saw a bright light in the distance and my mother’s voice called to me . . . by the Gods it was beautiful. Once he had his fill he sliced his wrist open with one of his talons and poured his own blood into my mouth, then placed his hand over it forcing me to swallow. The bright light disappeared forever; my mother’s voice was gone.” The Maker cleared his throat.
“The taste was disgusting, utterly revolting. My body lit up with a terrible feeling, like liquid fire coursing through my veins, burning me alive. I screamed louder than I had ever thought a man capable. My body spasmed in pain for the Gods only knows how long. Perhaps minutes, perhaps hours. I only know that I was fully aware through it all. As the pain finally subsided and the transformation was completed, my wounds closed, my bones healed themselves. When I rose to my feet, I was whole again but I instantly knew that something had changed inside me. I felt strong! Stronger than I had ever felt in my life! I looked around for my assailant, ready to rip him to shreds with my bare hands. However, he was gone. I stood alone in my tattered rags. Nothing but frost covered trees around me.
“Where did he go? Did .you ever see him again?”
“No, I never saw him again, and to this day I do not know why he did what he did. Years later, I learned from others like me that most Makers remained with their children. They did not create another Maker unless they were prepared to remain by their side. Creating a slave is one thing, but to create an equal is a very intimate, very personal event. I would imagine it to be akin to giving birth. I have no idea why he did not just turn me into some mindless beast that he could control. I doubt that I will ever know. Whatever his reasons he made me powerful among my kind, stronger than all others. Of course I did not learn this until many years later.”
“What did you think had happened to you?” Jake asked. “Did you know you were a vampire?”
“I did not know what I was. Without my Maker to guide me, I was lost. I had no idea if I was unique or if there were others like me. I just knew that I was different. Ripping the tattered, blood soaked rags from my back I took off running across the land, my feet carrying me faster than I had ever run before. I was a force of nature! I covered mile after mile without tiring! I picked up and threw an ancient, broken log the length of the two coliseums! Nothing could hurt me. I fought toe to toe with a pack of wolves and killed them all with very little effort. The darkness of the night held no power over me, I could see clear as day on even the darkest nights. It was absolutely amazing!
“But all too soon, I learned of the curses that came with my new gifts. I could not walk in the sunlight. At the end of my first night, an overwhelming feeling to dig deep and hide overcame me. No matter how hard I tried, I could not fight the urge. I buried myself deep underground, but was not fast enough. Before I could finish the sun began to rise in the east. My skin began to smoke and char. Bits of skin fell off as ash. It hurt worse than anything I had ever before endured. Even worse than the beating, I received at the hands of my creator. So I climbed into my shallow hole and covered myself with dirt . . . Gods how I long to see the sun again! Even after all these long years I still long to feel the warmth of it on my face just one more time."
Jake sat there patiently waiting for him to continue.
"I'm sorry. My mind sometimes wanders. What was I talking about? Oh yes, curses! Worse than my newfound fear of the sun was the hunger growing inside me. It took me some time to grow accustomed to that. On the second night of my transformation, I waited too long to feed. My mind became lost with insanity and when I became aware, I had feasted on an entire family. The man, the wife . . . the child . . . I was sick with agony. I could not stop myself. Each night if I did not choose a victim I would go into a blood rage and my body would choose one for me. After many months of fighting it, I learned to give in to my desires and begin to hunt. Therefore, it went for many years. I wandered alone in the shadows, growing accustomed to this new strange existence.
“One day many years later, I began to hear rumors. The people were becoming unhappy with my grandson’s rule. Many said that he was plunging not only himself but also the empire into insanity. Rumors of mass trials and executions for so-called ‘enemies of the state’ began to reach my ears. Then I heard even stranger things, rumors of my grandson proclaiming himself a God.
“Now rumors had always run rampant during my own rule, so this did not surprise me. It only seemed natural that my grandson would face the same. Nevertheless, I had to know for sure. Moreover, I longed to see my home again. So I returned.
“Once there I lurked in the streets at night as a common vagrant. You would be surprised what you can hear when those around you think you are little more than trash. I felt a fear emanating among my people that had not been there as I ruled. Th
ey reeked of it. It did not take long for me to learn why. The rumors were true. Anyone that questioned the new emperor was branded a traitor and executed.
“But the acts I saw with my own two eyes were much, much worse than any discontent my people felt for their new ruler. What I saw shocked me beyond words. Even today nearly two thousand years later I cannot convey to you the disappointment . . . the embarrassment I felt.”
Jake could almost feel the pain in his voice.
"One night, while hiding in the shadows, I watched my grandson dress up as the Great God Apollo. He covered himself from head to toe in human blood, and then danced with seven naked women like some wild barbarian!
“I tell you truthfully young man, that if I had not seen it I would not have believed it. He was mad. Mad with power, mad with . . . Gods only knows what.
“What had happened to the young man I had become so proud of? I never should have left such a burden on his shoulders.” The Maker let out a deep breath before continuing.
“I knew he didn't have much time left. It would not be long before the Senate put an end to his madness. Therefore, I watched, I waited. Sure enough, within a month’s time they plotted the murder of not only himself but of his sister. I could not help but feel responsible for his fall. I had not prepared him, as I should. I had left him alone, abandoned him to his own demons. It was my fault. To this day I still feel as such."
"So what did you do?" Jake interrupted. "Did you let them kill him?"
The vampire took in a deep breath then exhaled. "I did what I thought was best. I waited until the act was committed and then as he lay dying I gave him the gift that had been given to me. I made him immortal. It occurred to me at the time that with a lifetime of my guidance I could lead him back to the light. Show him the error of his ways. After he awoke to his new life, he begged me to do the same for his sister. She was the Senate’s next target. However, I refused. She was cruel and manipulative and I wanted to separate him from his old life, but alas, it was not to be. Without my permission he turned her and then turned the man she loved, a man I had grudgingly left behind to rule alongside my grandson. He was a brutish, violent man. It did not bode well."
"Why? What happened?"
"For centuries everything was fine. My grandson had some very . . . bad eating habits as did his sister and her companion, but I chose to ignore them. Who was I to judge? I was a killer the same as them."
"I don’t understand,” Jake said, scrunching his brow. “How does a vampire have bad eating habits?
"They . . . well I suppose the only way to say it is to come right out with it. They ate children. Young children. Babies still clutched in their mother's arms. They would rip the tiny babes from their beds, feast on them and then laugh when the mothers discovered what had been done. ”
“My God . . .” Jake said, shaking his head.
“Another thing that bothered me was their constant creating of slaves. In every town we dwelled they would create two, three, sometimes even six slaves! Then it got to the point where they were creating Makers! ‘Why did you do this?’ I would ask. Why bring such attention to our kind? They would shrug their shoulders and say, 'Why not?'
“The decades turned into centuries, the centuries into millennia. I saw countless wars fought, even the fall of my beloved empire. All those I had cared for as a human were long dead. Even their bones had turned to dust. All were dead but my three companions. I began to see in their eyes that they had grown tired of my company. I know now, if they had been able to kill me they surely would have."
"Why couldn't they kill you?"
"For whatever reason a Maker cannot be killed by those he made or by those his children make. Having never known my own Maker I have no answer as to why this is, and no immortal I have met since has been able to answer either. It is something written into our blood."
"Have you ever met an immortal older than yourself?"
The vampire thought for several seconds. "Every Maker I met after my transformation was no more than fifty or sixty years older than myself. But there was one. It was around the time of the first Crusades. I met him one night prowling the streets of Jerusalem like a crazed beast babbling incoherently. When the sun began to show in the sky, I took him with me to my home and cared for him. I learned little from him, only that he was well over five thousand years old, possibly older, but who could say for sure. I remember he seemed to be obsessed with finding his pet cat. I let him go the next night and never saw him again."
"Five thousand years old! That's amazing."
"I must admit that even as old as I am, I cannot imagine living for that long. I believe I would walk into the sun long before that point. Perhaps that is why he was insane. Perhaps his mind had left him long ago and only the most basic reasoning skills remained. Who can say? Anyway, we are running out of time and I have much of my tale to tell."
"I'm sorry. Please continue." Jake said.
"Well as I said, I began to feel that my companions wanted to be free of me. On several different occasions, I was attacked by other immortals while my companions were conveniently occupied with something else. Of course, they were nowhere near my power, so I dispatched them easily enough. However, after the fourth attempt I knew it was just a matter of time before they found a way. So without so much as a goodbye, I left their company.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. I did not see my grandson for nearly six hundred years. By that time, a new land had been discovered. Though I am not exactly sure as to how it was suddenly ‘new’ when our ships had sailed there centuries before. I am getting off topic again. I was in England at the time. Raleigh had set up his colony at what was called Roanoke. My kind had nearly been hunted to extinction in Europe. The Templar Knights led by Grand Master Richard Bishop with his brother and sons at his side led a great campaign to rid the world of vampires and they did their job very well.”
Bishop! Jake’s heart leapt into his chest. He knew the vampire could hear it so he struggled to calm himself down. It didn’t work.
“Are you alright young one? Your heart is racing quite fast?”
“I’m sorry, it’s just, it’s getting close to the time I usually have to get up is all. I just don’t want to get caught.” Jake lied.
“Should we end it now then? I assure you the corpse’s slav . . . servant has not yet risen.”
“No, please . . .” Jake said, trying to hide his nervousness. “Please continue.”
“As you wish young man. I will try to wrap it up quickly then. As I was saying, Lord Bishop and his men did their job very well, almost too well. They came with swords, sharpened lances, crossbows, armor that our fangs could not penetrate. They used fire to burn us out of hiding places during the day. Those of us wise enough to bury ourselves in the earth were pulled from their graves, set a blaze and reburied. I am sure that more than a few of my kind buried themselves too deep to dig themselves out. I imagine they are still buried in the earth, starving, insane.” The vampire’s voice shook slightly. “A hell I would not wish on my worst enemy.
“Within ten years time only a handful of us remained, hiding wherever we could, afraid to even feed. Somehow, they always seemed to know exactly where we were resting. The great Council of the Immortals, of which I was a founding member, was wiped out first. Beings that I had known for hundreds of years. Friendships so deep and rich you could not possibly comprehend them unless you had lived more than one lifetime, all of them . . . gone. Soon only I remained. Of my grandson and his companions, I had no word. I never felt their deaths so I knew that they were alive. I assumed they were in hiding as I was.
One night I encountered one of the Bishop sons, the youngest, Nathaniel. I asked him point blank how had they known?"
Jake’s mind raced. What would the Maker do if he knew a Bishop sa
t in front of him now? Now, more than ever, he knew he couldn't let him know his name. Surely, he would do his best to kill him if he knew he was the descendant of the ones that had nearly caused the extinction of his entire race.
"Are you sure you are alright young man?" He asked again peering through the tiny hole.
"Yeah I'm fine." Jake lied again. "It's just . . . I should really be getting back. If I am caught out of my room, Paul won’t be happy. The last thing I want is to catch another beating.”
"Very well then, I am sorry to have kept you so long. I forget sometimes that humans do require sleep. It is something I can honestly say I miss a great deal. Even when I must hide from the sun, my mind does not shut down as it does when you sleep. So go young man, rest yourself, I hope I have not been boring you with my tales."
"Oh no, not at all." Jake said, inching his way up the stairs.
"Good. Well good night then. Will I see you tomorrow night?"
"Yes." Jake said, not entirely sure if he still felt comfortable in his presence. "Good night." He said quietly from the top of the stairs.
The entire next day Jake dreaded his upcoming meeting with the vampire. A very large part of him didn't want to go back. However, another part had to hear the rest of the story. How had he come to be locked up? What had happened with Nathaniel Bishop?
That night as he sat across from his grandfather, he didn't even hear when the old man addressed him. He didn't know he had missed it until Paul smacked him in the back of the head. Jake saw red. He seemed to go outside of himself and when he came back, he was standing over Paul’s unconscious, bloodied form. He'd had enough abuse, and for the first time it was just him and the old man. Jake wiped his bloodied knuckles on the white tablecloth and took several steps towards Riker.
The old man’s breathing became ragged as fear filled his eyes. He coughed uncontrollably. But Jake didn't feel an ounce of pity for him. This man was keeping him against his will for his own personal gain. He cared nothing for Jake and had cared nothing for his mother. Jake could kill him and there was nothing he could do about it.
For a brief moment, Jake entertained the idea of pinching his oxygen hose. A perfect picture formed in his mind of wrapping his hands around his throat and choking the last bits of life from him. No one would ever know. He took two steps toward him when his mom's smiling face appeared in his head. This isn’t me! I’m not capable of murder! Even if it meant his freedom, Jake could not do something so terribly evil. He wasn't a monster like the pitiful creature locked down in the basement.
He took two more steps and leaning down close to his grandfather said, "Good night Grandfather." then yanked the power cord from his wheel chair. He turned and walked away with a newfound self-respect he had never felt before.