Chapter 13
Jake
The Riker Mansion
May 7, 1995 8:05pm
Jake made up his mind right then and there. He was done. One way or another he was getting out of that house. He wouldn't sit and rot waiting for that miserable old man to trade him to the vampires just to satisfy his own twisted desire for immortality.
Tonight had been the last straw. Tomorrow morning he would make his escape. There was no telling what Paul would do after the beating he had just received and he sure wasn’t waiting around to find out. Paul would never lay hands on him again. No one would. Jake promised himself that much.
He had one last thing to do before he left. The Maker. His tale wasn’t finished yet, and Jake had a feeling that kind of knowledge would be useful to his dad and the other hunters. But that wasn’t the main reason, not really. He wanted to hear it, but mostly he needed to hear it. Vampire or not, he had been a friend when Jake needed one the most.
Walking back into the dining room he found Paul still unconscious on the floor. Riker sat in his chair trying desperately to move the plug back into its socket, but he just couldn't move his arms the way he wanted to. When Jake stepped into the room, he started hyperventilating. “What are you going to do?” He yelled between violent, hacking coughs.
Jake ignored him and grabbed hold of Paul’s left leg. The old man began a tirade of cuss words calling him every name under the sun, but Jake didn’t care, after this night he would never have to listen to him again.
Using all his strength, he pulled Paul through the dining room and into the kitchen. Paul moaned loudly as his head bumped on the hardwood floor. Opening the large freezer door Jake dragged him in dropping him to the freezing cold floor then slammed the door shut behind him. He grabbed the small pin hanging on a chain and shoved it through the door handle. He couldn't help but smile to himself. Now Paul would know what it was like to be locked up.
Stepping back into the dining room, he found his next target. “What are you going to do?” Riker wheezed again.
Jake got down to eye level with him. “I’m thinking maybe I'll feed you to the vampire you’ve got locked up down in the basement.”
Riker’s eyes lit up with fear. “You wouldn’t! I’m your . . .” he coughed again. “I’m your grandfather!”
“Yeah well, I’m your grandson but you were more than willing to trade me in. You’ve hurt a lot of people old man, ruined a lot of lives.”
“Jake . . . I’m sorry . . . please . . . I can give you anything you want!” he wheezed. “Money! I've got more money than you could ever dream of!”
“I don’t want your money!” Jake said, reconnecting the battery to his wheel chair. “I don’t need anything from you. As far as I am concerned, you’re already dead to me. I just want to go home. So tell me where I can find a phone and I’ll be on my way.”
Riker stared daggers through him. “You’ll never get out of here alive. My guards will make sure of that.”
“Yeah well, we’ll see about that. First, I’m going to lock you up, and then I’m going to make a phone call. When I’m done fifty pissed off hunters will know what you have locked up in that dungeon of yours. I’m betting within twelve hours they will be beating down your front door, two of which will be my dad and my grandpa. I’ll let them deal with you.” It was a bluff, Jake wasn’t even sure exactly what sate he was in, but Riker didn’t know that.
Once again, fear filled the old man’s eyes. He knew how much John and Cort hated him. Jake had to fight the old man’s feeble attempts at controlling the wheelchair for the better part of a half hour as he wheeled him into his study. He would have just unplugged the thing entirely but the wheels seemed to automatically lock down when not powered.
He had never been in Riker’s study before. It had the musty smell of disinfectant mixed with old sweat. It was filled with various medical devices from IV poles, oxygen tanks, to a large hospital bed with what Jake assumed were heart/blood pressure monitors next to it.
“You’ll pay for this boy!” Riker said, as Jake wheeled him into a large closet. “I’ll have every bounty hunter, every cold blooded killer I can find hunting you and your family! I’ll put a price on your head so big, you won’t be safe anywhere! You hear me boy?”
Again, Jake yanked the battery cable from his chair then started to close the closet doors but stopped short. “Riker, my family hunts vampires for a living. Vampires! Do you think that there’s anyone that my family is afraid of?”
“I guess you’ll find out won’t ‘ya?” Riker said, and then spit a wad of phlegm at Jake’s feet.
Jake slammed the doors shut and though he doubted it was needed, he shoved a chair up against them as well. The old man’s coughing and cursing continued to grow louder from inside the closet.
Now to find a phone. There, on a nightstand next to the bed, was an old antique looking rotary phone. Jake picked up the receiver and dialed his Grandpa Cort’s number. It rang and rang but no one answered. “Come on Grandpa! Answer the phone!” After about thirty rings, he gave up and angrily tossed the phone across the room. That had been his only chance, his only way out.
It was five minutes until ten when he made his way downstairs to the basement. From the other side of the house he heard the faint sounds of Paul banging on the freezer door.
"You caused quite a fuss today.” The Maker’s voice called out to him when he was only half way down. “I smelled the servant’s blood all the way from here.”
“Yeah well . . .” Jake replied. “He hit me one time to many.”
“Oh how I would love to feast on him.” The Maker said, sucking in a lungful of air. “So many times he tortured me. Did you know that once he cut every one of my fingers and toes off? And they call me monster!"
"You can regenerate entire limbs?" Jake said, pacing back and forth across the floor.
"You seem distracted my young friend.” The vampire said, brushing his question aside. “Is everything okay?"
"I have to get out of here!” Jake yelled slapping the wall with his palm. “I . . . I . . .don’t know what to do! I locked Paul and Riker up! But it’s only a matter of time before the guards realize something is wrong!”
“My, my! You have been busy today! Fear not young one, I'm sure it will all work out.”
“What do you know?” Jake yelled at him angrily. “You’re just a . . . a . . . damn blood sucking vampire! You have no idea of what I’m going through. I bet if you were given the chance you’d drink my blood in a heartbeat!” A deep silence settled over the two of them. Finally, Jake let out a deep breath and broke it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. It’s just . . . look I’m sorry.”
“No.” The vampire replied coolly. “You are right. I have no delusions of what I am. However, I give you my word I will not harm you. It has been a very long time since I have had someone to talk too. I will not forget your kindness. I would not worry so much my young friend. Your father and grandfather will not let anything happen to you.”
“How do you know? You don’t know them.” Jake said, beginning to pace again.
“I may not know them but I know your family very well Jacob Bishop.”
Jake stopped pacing. “You know my name?”
“I do.”
“What? How? When did you learn it?”
He chuckled. “I’ve known since you first got here. I hear everything that goes on above.”
“Then why have you been so nice to me? Why have you . . . well let’s face it, been my friend? Didn’t you tell me that my ancestors nearly wiped out your entire kind?"
"They did. It was also a Bishop that imprisoned me. I hold no grudge against you. It was not you that bound me in chains that buried me alive."
"Why would they do that?” Jake asked. “Why didn't they just kill you?"
"They needed me. You see,
I am the oldest living vampire left in the world. Well . . . as far as I know of course. I am also the creator of the most powerful free vampire on this continent. Caligula."
"Where have I heard that name before?” Jake said, scratching his head. “Is that your grandson?"
"I didn’t get to finish my tale last night, while it was hunters that wiped out every Immortal in Europe; it was an immortal that led them to do it. A master of manipulation, my own adopted grandson, Caligula.”
“What kind of person would betray his own grandfather?” Jake asked.
“What kind of person would betray his own grandson?” The Maker countered. “We can’t always comprehend the actions of those around us. Even those we consider family.”
"But you told me before that you knew he was crazy. So why did you make him into a vampire? Feeling guilty or not, you had to know it would end badly."
The Maker sighed. "I was a fool. I believed I could change him into the boy I had once known. I see now the boy I thought I knew was the real act. He did what he had to do to grow close to me - to ensure his place on my throne.
“I know your name Jacob Bishop. Therefore, it is only fair that I trust you with my own. I am Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus. I was the second emperor of the Roman Empire."
Jake’s jaw dropped. "I just learned about you from my tutor! And Caligula! That’s where I’ve heard that name! He was also a Roman emperor."
"Yes."
"Wow! This is just insane." Jake exclaimed
"For years Caligula worked with the Templars. If I had had any knowledge of it, beforehand I would have put a stop to it and him. He deceived them by pretending to be a priest that received visions from God. Using the network of immortals he gave the Templars the location of every single immortal save himself, his sister Julia Livilla and her brutish lover Macro.”
“Did you say her name was Julia?”
“Yes, though most called her Livilla. A vile creature really, I never should have allowed Caligula to turn her."
“That’s my mom’s name.” Jake said, quietly.
“Odd.” The vampire said, “A strange coincidence indeed.”
“Yeah maybe . . .”
“For whatever reason I was the last of my dark brothers and sisters. Why I was saved until the very end, I do not know. However, one thing was for sure, I was his Maker and he could not kill me. His attempts using other immortals had all failed, so he had the hunters try to do it and at the same time sent them to their deaths.
“You wiped out the Templars all by yourself?”
“No, I did not. He sent them on two hunts. The one led by young Nathaniel and his brother Daniel was to kill me. The other was led by their father Grand Master Richard and their Uncle Edward. The Grand Master, his brother, and all of their men were slaughtered like lambs."
"How?"
“Caligula set up an estate filled with over two hundred beasts. As soon as they entered, gates slammed down trapping them inside. None of the Templars escaped. I could have easily killed Nathaniel and his brother, but I disarmed them instead sparing their lives. Then I exposed Caligula for what he really was. The Bishops were enraged beyond words. They led me to the church where Caligula had taken refuge, but it was too late. He was already gone. Ransacking the place, we found documents where he had planned to board a supply ship bound for the Roanoke colony. I do not know the exact details of what happened after that, as I was tricked and put in chains by Nathaniel and men loyal to his Uncle, Sir Francis Drake."
"Why would he wipe out his own kind like that?"
"Two centuries before myself and many other Immortals started a ruling council we deemed the Immortal Council. We instituted laws governing all of the Immortals of Europe. Most were quick to accept them. Caligula, Macro, and especially Livilla were not. They believed there should be no rules; that we should live within our nature, killing whenever we saw fit. They did not see, or did not care about the danger of such a thing. The humans were growing more aware of us by the day. A single vampire feasting in a village killed only one a night. However, a host of vampires brought too much attention to our kind. While a single person posed no real threat, as a whole they could wipe us from existence. Nevertheless, Caligula and his cohorts did not care. They had absolutely no fear of the humans. Soon they became outcasts among our kind, shunned wherever they went. I never dreamed they would take their discontent as far as they did."
“But why come here? If they had wiped out all of the competition in Europe, why travel all the way across the Atlantic?
"In Europe the fear of vampires was growing on a daily basis. People were being burned at the stake for such outlandish crimes as witchcraft. Here, in this so called ‘New Land’ Caligula could be a God among men. With nothing but natives to stand in his way he could feast at will."
“How did they survive the trip?”
"I have no proof as I was not there, but I assume that they feasted on the members of the crew one by one and hid deep within the ship’s bowels during the daylight hours. There is no other way that they could have made such a long journey. What I do know is that when they finally arrived on shore, the colony at Roanoke was more than willing to embrace them. They were starving, near death; some had already resorted to cannibalism to survive. Therefore, Caligula offered them a way out. Most accepted. Those that did not became food. It is amazing what . . ." Tiberius paused in mid-sentence. Jake walked over and peered inside his cell. He was looking up at the ceiling. "One of my kind is here . . ." he said, slowly sniffing the air.
"What? What do you mean?" Jake stuttered. "How can you tell?"
"I can feel him, I can smell him. How he got past the guardians outside is beyond me."
"Guardians? What guardians? You mean the guards?"
"No. I do not. Wait . . . there are more than one!” The muffled sound of gunfire erupted from outside. Tiberius slammed his fist into the brick wall causing Jake to jump. Repeatedly he punched it. The wall shook violently but held.
“Listen to me son, I cannot help you. I cannot get out of this blasted cage!” Again, he punched the wall. “You must get outside, run into the woods, run as fast as you can! Do not stop!"
"What? You want me to go outside? But… but they'll catch me! I thought you were my friend! Now you're telling me to go outside and get eaten!"
“Silence boy! If you want to survive, you must do as I tell you! I do not have the time to explain. All I can tell you is that you will not be safe inside this house. Get to the woods!"
“But I can’t! There are electric fences! I’ll fry if I do!” The light bulb swinging above flashed a few times then went out plunging the room into darkness. Jake felt betrayed. He let himself begin to trust this creature and now he was sending him to his doom.
“Do as I say boy!” Tiberius yelled at him slamming his entire body into the wall.
"The hell with you! You damn vampire! I should have known better than to trust you!" Jake ran up the stairs as quickly as he could, bursting into the dining room.
“The woods!” Tiberius screamed from down below. “Get to the woods!”
Automatic weapons fire rang out from right outside the front door followed by horrific screams. The gigantic doors burst inward. Jake looked around frantically for a place to hide. Just as the first vampire stepped through the doors, Jake leapt under the dining room table.
One by one, they filed through the doors. There were seven that Jake could see, all different ages, races, and sizes. One of them was much larger than the others. He stood at least as tall as Jake’s dad, had a mane of long blond hair hanging over what looked to be some sort of twisted looking fur coat. He held a short chain in his grasp, attached to it was a man on all fours like a dog, but it wasn’t a man at all, not anymore. It was a grunt. It was also, the lawyer that had brought Jake to Riker. Mr. Murphy.
"Find the boy!" The large vampire yelled releasing the chain from around Murphy’s neck. Murphy sniffed the air like a dog then bounded up the stairs toward Jake’s room. "And bring me Riker!"
"Macro! We can't stay here!" One of the vampires yelled at the larger one. "Their reinforcements are coming!"
Macro! My God! It’s the one from Tiberius’ story! Jake thought to himself, panic rippling through his body. There was something strange about the second vampire as well. He seemed very familiar for some reason.
"Coward!" Macro yelled in response. "You are an Immortal Michael! Act like it!"
"And you are a fool!" Michael responded. “They will come here and kill us all! We should not have crossed the border!"
For a brief, second the one known as Michael looked directly at Jake making eye contact, and then leapt up to the balcony above. The big one, Macro, looked toward the door leading to Tiberius' cell and smiled. At a slow almost striding pace, he headed downstairs somehow completely oblivious to Jake hiding less than fifteen feet away.
It didn’t make sense. Jake knew the other vampire had seen him, yet he hadn’t said anything. Who is he? Jake thought racking his brain. The other vampires branched out throughout the house. He could hear them crashing through walls and tossing furniture left and right. Jake crept to the door to the basement and hiding behind a dresser listened in to the conversation between Macro and Tiberius.
"You're still alive old man?" Macro called out with a laugh.
"I could say the same for you. I am surprised Livilla has not killed you. Surely, she has become bored with you by now. Maybe that is why she sent you across the border. You always were brave Macro, I will give you that, but crossing the border and breaking the treaty is pure madness. Even for you."
"I don't fear that bunch of apes." Macro said, with a snarl.
"You should. But then again you never were that bright."
"Enough old man. I did not come here for you. Tell me, where is the boy?"
"What boy?" Tiberius said, keeping his voice calm and collected.
"The one the rich man has been keeping here, the hunter’s boy. I want him as my pet."
"I do not know what you are talking about. I have been locked up in this cage for decades. I have seen no boy!"
"You lie Tiberius. I smell his stench all over this very room."
Macro looked up the stairs just as Jake peeked around the edge. For a brief second their eyes meet. Macro’s eyes glowed a sharp red, his fangs protruded.
“Stop!” Tiberius commanded Macro. “You will not hurt the child.”
Macro stopped in mid-step, struggling to break Tiberius’ hold on him. “You’re weak old man! You can’t hold me long!”
"Run boy! Run!" Tiberius screamed. "Get to the woods! The woods!" Jake heard several loud thuds that could only be Tiberius slamming into the wall.
Jake didn’t wait to see the rest of the exchange. He put his feet in motion and took off at a dead run toward the front door. He knew it was futile. There was no chance to outrun a Maker vampire, much less seven, but he had to try. Just feet from the door, he could almost feel the giant on his heels. Then suddenly something had hold of the back of his shirt and threw him effortlessly in the air. Jake saw trees fly by and the electric fence pass below him. He landed hard with a thud and felt a sharp pain in his arm and head. Screaming out in pain, he passed out.