With under an hour left until sunrise, the ferals had become restless. The guards had brought several more strung up and lined them up into rows near the edges of the building. They tethered them to a rigged up pulley system, making it clear that they had put together some sort of machinery for this. Was it only to drop the bunch into the streets below? Rye furrowed his brows as he rationalized their actions. Why bother? Why not line them up on the street instead? He had a creeping suspicion that this was done to make sure none survived the sun. It was to incapacitate them until the UV rays could have their wrath without a chance to escape into the shadows once the sun rose.
It didn’t bother him that they were about to kill the ferals, but the mystery of the strangers made him antsy, and he wanted to hop on down there to see who they were. But why were they targeting feral vampires? And what was to stop them from targeting the hybrids next? He gritted his teeth at the thought, nicking his tongue in the process. It was uncomfortable to sit there in the warming air of the dawn, but he had to know what was going on. Glancing at April, who had been mostly silent, he saw that her legs were bouncing just a bit. She was desperate for action, too. A woman like her didn’t stay cooped up for too long, not with so much to learn about the world around them. It was one of the things that he loved about her: her wild, antsy streak.
The male leader of the group was scanning the horizon, too, briefly lifting his head toward them. Rye and April quickly ducked down a bit more, watching to see if he had spotted them. His face lingered in their direction for an uncomfortable moment before turning away. Had he seen them? Had he spotted the cameras? Rye twisted his tongue inside his mouth with the suspense of it all, hoping the feeling of dread was just anxiety that was snaking around his abdomen.
April looked like she felt the same way, her body pressed against the concrete wall that lined the edge of the roof. He could hear her heart racing like a hummingbird in her chest, and her eyes were wide in horror. This definitely was no run-of-the-mill scouting mission. This was a whole other enchilada. Rye even felt her anxiety leak into him as he studied the group and hoped he wouldn’t regret discovering them.
The downside of discovery was that it could really alter your days in unexpected ways.
Chapter Five
The Fall
April
THE SUN WAS snaking over Sunrise Mountain and tumbling its light across the valley. I watched it as the shadows retreated, running toward the west and blinding me to my right. It was much more intense in the morning, bright and overwhelming. The guards had waited patiently, tugging at the wrangled ferals like cattle on the edge of the building and shoving them into place with long spears and poles. I almost felt sorry for the wild things. If I hadn’t had the unfortunate experience of almost being a chop-suey dinner for them on more than one occasion, I might’ve let the sympathy overtake me and run down there to save the day. But I didn’t. I was merely left curious to see what would be happening at dawn, when the light judged them all.
Rye had waited as long as he could, but ended up descending to the next floor down, hidden in the shadows when the sun’s intensity got to be too much. It was upon us before the group below. Without the protection of other buildings, he had stood there, panting from the pain. He had waited as long as he could, and I knew he would be watching them from the windows below. He had needed shelter; the sun was to burn bright and hot today, a cloudless and windless day. He would have to wait until I could drive him back to the airport in the van with darkened windows that the hive kept for emergencies. Still, I longed for his company, especially as I waited to see the end game these people had planned.
As I waited, I let my thoughts linger on Rye. I wanted to love him without restraint. His embrace still lingered on my skin even though it had happened so many hours ago. I could still smell him on my clothes. So much crap tended to get in the way for us and muck it all up. I still worried for my family, even after they were safe at home. Even so, my mother’s fragile condition brought a new set of obstacles. My responsibility to her and Jeremy kept me from acting on my feelings for Rye. Now, with these new ‘people’ lurking about, I was even more apprehensive to get involved with anyone, even a vampire hybrid who could very well defend himself against many things and take care of himself.
The rays of sun intensified, smothering the air in its suffocating warmth. I watched the tied up ferals, unable to look away as they began to sizzle under the sun’s wrath. Smoky wisps leaked from their bodies, smoke tendrils hissing from their skin as they screeched. It was ear piercing. The guards casually stood by the group and together they pulled some levers to release the ferals, tossing them hard against the ground, littering the street with their remains. Ash and embers burst from their bodies like confetti, tumbling to the asphalt into smoldering piles as row after row of them were yanked and sent over the edge. I would have cheered them on if it wasn’t so darn appalling. I watched with a growing horror at the ease that the guards disposed of the ferals. I watched them work uniformly to achieve this task until the last of the wild things was sent over the edge, and nothing was left but piles of dust and flittering ash.
The guards quickly disassembled their pulleys and grabbed all the spears, running in through the opened window and making sure to shut it behind them. Just like that, they had achieved their goal of incinerating a batch of feral vampires, all without getting bitten and without a trace of their existence left behind. I was shocked by how quickly it had all happened. Not twenty minutes had passed since sunrise and the silence of the dead was louder than anything else on the horizon.
And what of these captors? They had appeared so human, so real. What were they? hybrids? Human? Or maybe, just maybe, they could be like me. The questions flooded my brain, leaving me exasperated and standing there staring after them for minutes before I realized that Rye would be getting worried if I didn’t hurry up and join him. I quickly disassembled the cameras in the growing light and heat of the morning. My clothes were already beginning to stick to me as I worked, tossing all the equipment into duffle bags and hauling them one by one to the stairwell door.
Finally, I rolled up my sleeping bag and folded up the chair Rye had used and set them near the stairwell where they would not be visible. As I reached for the doorknob, Rye pushed it open violently and glared at me as I stood there, my hand still reaching for the door.
“What is taking so long?” he snapped. He began grabbing bag after bag to take down to the second floor, where a make shift sub-headquarters had been set up for the hive before I could answer. No one really stayed here much, so it was deserted most of the time. The windows were reinforced one way mirrors to allow us to see outside, but no one could see in. Lately it had been used a lot to plan and organize initiatives to see who was killing the ferals. Last night had been our watch and we had finally gotten them on camera.
“Nothing! I had to gather all the stuff.” I frowned right back at him, shaking my head at his outburst. “What’s the matter with you?” I huffed as I pushed past him and down the stairs with leaden steps.
“I saw them leave and I just thought it was taking a bit too long for you to get down here.” He scrambled to keep up with me as I hastily burst through the second floor door, marching the bags over to the computers and dropping them in heaps, not caring to be gentle with the equipment. There was electricity here. It had been rigged with emergency generators in the basement so that the computers would work again. I loved having artificial light to work under instead of flashlights or lanterns. Still, it felt somewhat bare in here, and I hated the unused office feel of it.
“Well, sorry I’m not fast enough for you.” I sighed, sitting down at one of the computers and pulling out a camera to fish out the SD card. Stuffing it into the card reader, I worked the rest of the morning downloading the videos and pictures, uploading it all to a portable hard drive to take to the hive. It was tedious work, boring and time consuming, but I welcomed the distraction. It gave me a solid reason to avoid ta
lking to Rye.
Rye gave up on questioning me once he saw my resolve to ignore him and started on his own pile of cameras. Later, he tossed me a wrapped up cold sub sandwich for brunch. I hadn’t eaten all night, so I grumpily thanked him before tearing into it. I was relieved that we had food and drinks here while we worked. A makeshift kitchen was set up in one of the rooms which had been some sort of office break room in the past, complete with a fridge, microwave, plenty of nonperishable snacks and a sink with running water, all rigged up by the hive workers.
Being hungry and exhausted while hanging out with Rye was not a good idea. Trying to keep things platonic was wearing on us both. It threw both of us into a bad mood after a while. I wished I could respond to his advances, but I just couldn’t deal with a relationship, even with someone as amazing as Rye.
I clicked on one of the files near the time the strangers had started pushing the ferals over the edge. Staring at the different warriors, I studied their eyes. Did they reflect the light like the hybrids’ eyes do? I watched and scanned over their faces in the zoomed in view, searching for the telltale reflection. Nothing.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, shock filling me and making my breakfast ball up in my stomach.
“What?” Rye stood up from his chair and raced toward me, glancing at the video playing on the computer screen.
“They’re not hybrids.”
“How can you tell?”
“The sun hits most of their faces in a few of the shots. None of their eyes reflect the light like yours or any other hybrids’ eyes do. Plus, none of them shun the sun like you do.” I turned toward Rye, attempting to hide the gleam of excitement in my eyes.
I shifted over in my chair to let him peek over and observe the shots I had paused on the screen. His eyes roamed over the figures, taking in every detail. “Rye, they’re human. They have to be.” Turning back, I admired their human eyes and noticed how their skin tones were not so pale, like the soft translucent white of the hybrids. “Maybe they’re like me. Maybe I’m not alone after all.”
Rye frowned and leaned back in his chair, his face scrunching up as his lips turned down. “But you’re not alone, April.” The chair creaked as if answering for me.
“You know what I mean.” I ignored his reaction and beamed at the screen, printing out the pictures of what felt like a discovery of treasure. After our work was done, I would take to the streets alone to clear my mind. Rye would let me, knowing how too much time spent together created more of a wedge between us rather than sealed the gap. Each time I left on my own, the longing in his eyes was more than apparent. It radiated from his entire being. He wanted to come, wanted to follow me through the streets, I could feel it. But I never invited him.
Maybe it was an old habit I had acquired in my year of solitude or just a means to escape. Either way, it helped me think without any interruptions, without any kind of distraction.
Sometimes being alone was good.
Chapter Six
We’re All Monsters
April
IT IS SAID that time is unrelated to everything else. It goes on and on, unnoticing of our actions, our falls, our triumphs. Who’s to care then, if time does not remember us? It flies by, fleeting, inattentive and disinterested in any occupants of this earth. What are we, then, if time thinks so little of everyone it passes? Time is truly apathetic to the many to whom a little empathy would mean so much.
The time I had spent watching the humans on the computer screens and thinking about them had left room for little else. I wanted to know more about them; where did they live, where were they hiding in this city? Why had I not ever seen them before? I had so many questions flooding my mind that it left me restless and stirred up my thoughts. I had been struck dumb with shock. For the first time, I had been truly baffled, left not knowing what to think. But I was also strangely exhilarated.
I didn’t tell Mom too much about what I had seen that day. She seemed disinterested, further retreating into the shell she was constructing around herself as the days went on. The nagging hunger within her pummeled her senses, leaving her lost inside herself, muttering about delusions. Would it be long before she succumbed to it? How long before her delirium overwhelmed the person she had once been? Her moans and constant shifting around in her bed kept me awake through the long nights, making me grateful that Jeremy could sleep through it. He’d miss a hurricane if one ever came through here. I never did sleep soundly. It was a curse of sorts, to always be aware, to always know that monsters did exist in the world.
The click of the doorbell shook me from the semi-consciousness that posed for sleep. I sat up, jerked into awareness in a heartbeat. It didn’t stop my heart from arresting in my chest, making me heave in a breath to calm the ache. Half pulling on my shoes and grabbing the machete that always was on my bedside table, I glanced back, relieved that Jeremy was still asleep. The back room where my mother now dwelled was as silent as a tomb. I nearly stumbled to the security monitors to peek at the view of the bunker’s entrance.
A familiar outline shifted in the dark green of the night vision camera. Light reflected back from vampire-haloed eyes as Rye stared at me through the screen. He waited as I turned on the mike to speak to him.
“Password?”
“Nevermore.”
I could almost feel his eyes rolling on the other side of the metal door. I clicked the lock open, allowing him to slide through quickly. I shut it as quietly and as swiftly as I could, keeping my eyes focused on the darkened blanket of the forest around the house. With the locks back in place, I finally turned toward him, placing the machete down at the surveillance desk. I plopped into one of the chairs, pushing back the wild hair that now shifted around my face.
“Rye, what’s going on?” Rubbing my face, I yawned, feeling the fatigue roll through me. “It’s really late.”
“I have information on the humans we saw the other night.” He rolled his shoulders, appearing tired also. “And…I couldn’t sleep.” His eyes met mine. Longing and sadness swam in them as he continued. “Plus, I wanted to see you.”
I perked up slightly, all ears and definitely more awake. I stifled the urge to keep yawning and to let my eyes roll deliriously back into their sockets. Man, I’m so tired! “Oh, okay.” I laid my head on the desk, waiting for him to continue, knowing full well I was ignoring half of what he was saying. “So spit it out already.”
Rye laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. He knew he could prolong this torment by dragging out the details; he’d do it just to get a rise out of me. Sometimes I thought he could very well have a deeply hidden sadistic side. “Well, it could be just a rumor but….”
“But?” He had my attention now. I sat up, my back straight as I stared wide eyed back at him.
Yep, definitely sadistic.
“But we haven’t confirmed it yet.”
“Confirmed what?” I wanted to shake him. “What rumor?”
“Blaze heard it some time ago, a rumor that there was an underground city of humans—uninfected humans—under one of the larger casinos. In pre-epidemic times there was a story that one of the casino owners was some nuclear fallout paranoid guy who supposedly had a city built under his casino capable of sustaining its population for years without contact with the outside world.”
I chewed on my lip as I thought it over. It was possible. There were a few bunkers I had discovered since I’d found the one in the mountains. None were as well fortified as our home abode was; some were impossible to enter. Some had been hit already and destroyed. This could very well be a true rumor, for all we knew. But how could we confirm it?
“Do you know what casino it was rumored to be built under?”
“Yes. The Wynn. But there are many possibilities.”
“Hmm.” I tapped my temple as I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking back on the days I’d traipsed throughout The Strip. I barely remembered the Wynn Hotel & Casino. It was so vague in my mind, I doubted I had walked through it more tha
n once. Maybe twice. Not a good start at all. “Are you very familiar with the Wynn?”
Rye shook his head and sighed; he knew what we were up against. If there were humans down there that could wrangle up dozens of ferals, it would definitely be difficult to infiltrate. Their techniques and coordination were too good to presume that they would be merely ordinary humans. I doubted it. They could be highly-trained black ops soldiers, for all I knew. I was excited and disturbed at the same time. Could it be what I had hoped to find all this time, ever since the epidemic stole my life away? I wished there was more concrete evidence, but I’d take anything, even now, after all this time.
“Me neither.” I slumped in the chair, letting my head roll over to where the small, curled-up lump of my brother lay softly snoring under the blankets. Thank God he was a sound sleeper. I would literally have to shake him awake if I ever needed him to evacuate during the dead of night. I wasn’t that lucky. I don’t think I’d slept through a night in over a year. “So what’s the plan, Rye? Tell me you didn’t waltz over here in the middle of the night without one.” Eyeing him, I could’ve sworn I saw that pale, smooth skin of his flush ever so slightly. It was alarmingly pleasurable to see him shift in his seat.
“Well, the thing is, Blaze doesn’t really have a plan yet. It’s not going well. No one can decide what to do about this group. If we exterminate them….”
“Whoa, wait…exterminate them? No.” I straightened up and gave him a death glare. He shifted again, knowing I didn’t like this suggestion one bit. “Under no circumstances will that be our first plan.” I gritted my teeth, seething but trying to think at the same time. That was their plan? Ridiculous!