‘The atom bomb,’ Steven interrupted again.
‘Correct again. Do you want to tell the story?’ Ian grinned.
‘No, you carry on,’ Steven replied.
‘As I was saying, the atom bomb; the most powerful weapon ever made by man. As history showed, it did change things a lot. They perfected a deadly weapon with lasting consequences.’
Steven nodded.
‘This is going to sound crazy, but trust me – it wasn’t. I have never been so scared in my life. I was only ten years old after all,’ Ian paused.
Steven did not care if he had still been a baby. ‘Get to the point.’
‘I told you this was not the right time to tell you.’ There was a trace of irritation in Ian’s reply.
‘I’m just not interested in your melodrama. You were ten years old, so what? It doesn’t look like it bothered you in the slightest.’
‘You’re right. It didn’t. I never once questioned what happened. I accepted it. In a way, my young age was a blessing.’
‘I was born in 1948, so this is also a history lesson for me,’ Eilif admitted, head on his hand.
‘Are you going to be patient?’ Ian’s face was serious.
‘I’m listening.’ Steven downed the last of his beer. For once, getting drunk didn’t sound like such a bad idea.
‘Okay, so we were attacked by radioactive vampire bats,’ Ian added, his face lit up, overly dramatic.
Steven was not impressed, but he kept a straight face and nodded. The story was beginning to sound like a horror film.
‘All the bats died, but their bite infected fourteen people in total. My parents and your grandparents, Jeff and Judith Roberts and my oldest sister, Catherine, the twins, Emily and Anna, and me. A Spanish family comprised of Franco, Elena and their children, Hortensia, who is now my mother in law, Lana and Juan. There was also a couple from Sweden, Morten and Arla Clausen. And finally a single man, Isaac Abel, a German Jew who escaped Germany in the early 1930s.’
‘Quite a mix,’ Steven remarked.
‘Indeed. The key thing is all of us eventually changed. Anyway, that’s enough for today. I don’t want to inundate you. The point is the accident led to a further step in the evolution of mankind. All you have to know for now is that you are due a change. When you change you will retain your individuality. We breathe, eat, sleep, think and do all the things we used to. But, you will have other needs…’
‘Needs that make you kill for blood,’ Steven added. It was classic. Leave the best bit for last.
‘Sometimes, death is not always necessary. It’s complicated, I know,’ Ian mused.
‘It’s not a bad thing to be one of us,’ Eilif added. ‘As you can see we don’t age after the change. Think of that perk!’
‘Perk! And watch everyone else around die,’ Steven spat, disgust, thick and heavy, in his voice.
‘That’s the point. None of us will die. Don’t you see that we have made it easier for you? We have cut loose the ties that bound you to a normal human life,’ Eilif continued. It was a blatant attempt to justify their actions.
For a brief moment no-one spoke as Steven contemplated their undeniable logic. Finally, Steven said, ‘Can I just ask you one more thing?’
‘Sure,’ Ian replied.
‘Why was the charade with Caitlin necessary? Why didn’t you just come to talk to me and then make me disappear?’
‘Steven, you have to understand. There was no other way in which you would have taken us seriously. She can’t be in your life anymore. This is the best way forward. You realise you could have killed her in a few months’ time.’
‘Will she ever remember me?’ Steven directed his question at Eilif.
‘Truthfully, I don’t know. Maybe in a few years’ time the memory will come back and she’ll think it was a dream.’
‘Will my parents ever remember me?’
‘Again doubtful. In time, like I’ve just said, they might remember something deep in their subconscious. The conscious mind will never convince them it was a reality.’
Steven mind was spinning. ‘Can I ask one more question?’
‘Go for it,’ Ian conceded.
‘Why do you have to kill occasionally?’
Ian stared at the table for a split second, then he looked up and held Steven’s gaze, ‘Ah, now that is more difficult to answer. In a few months you will understand that one better. The truth is you will need human blood to change. After that, all mammal blood tastes good. To make it easier to understand, human blood is our chocolate. Not for overindulgence.’
‘I need human blood to change?’ Steven winced.
‘Yes, you do,’ Ian replied.
‘Is it impossible to live amongst normal humans after the change?’
‘That is our firm belief. If we started to allow that it would be like opening a can of worms. Who knows what the consequences would be? We are respectful of human life.’
‘So, I won’t become a blood lusting, insatiable vampire?’
Eilif laughed.
‘Not from our experience. But you are the first of our kind to be born half human, half vampire.’ Ian tweaked his fingers to form speech marks at the word vampire. ‘So I can’t give you a foolproof guarantee of what you’ll become. This is why you should be with us now,’ Ian finished with conviction.
Steven had lost the will to fight. Even though he did not want to go, he had run out of options. ‘When do we leave?’
‘Now is as good a time as any.’ Ian downed the rest of his drink and stuffed the other unopened packets of nuts in his pocket. ‘Ready?’
‘Not really, but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Don’t expect me to be overjoyed.’
Eilif’s expression was alight, full of optimism. ‘We are realistic. We didn’t expect you to be jumping through hoops. You have a great future ahead of you. This is not the end, it’s the beginning,’
Steven did not share their enthusiasm. If this was the beginning, he’d skip and read to the end.
*
A baby continued to wail as the parents frantically rummaged in a huge rucksack. The moment was tense. They were flustered, too slow to appease the demanding babe. The moment the bottle of milk was thrust in the baby’s mouth, blissful silence ensued. It was broken by a group of boisterous teenagers keen to have an argument. Their unfortunate parents grimaced in the background. A lone businessman frowned, appalled at being sandwiched between the crazy baby and mutinous siblings.
Amongst it all, in the queue for the passport checkpoint, Steven mulled over his predicament. He wished his life was like theirs – normal. But, he had no alternative. Where else could he go? Strangely, this stage of his life brought about a farcical element of excitement. Saying this, he was still in denial. There was no way his existence had been erased. Tomorrow, he would wake up to find it had all been an extravagant dream.
In truth, he was disappointed. All of his childish notions had been quashed when he realised they were travelling on a normal flight. He hadn’t really considered any other options, but a plane seemed way too ordinary. To add to it, he was still travelling under his real identity. To all intents and purposes he did not exist, yet his passport was still valid, a last remnant of his previous life.
Steven was determined to look disinterested and wore a permanent scowl. He was curious, just not in the mood to have a friendly chat with his new guardians. As he walked through the metal detector he willed it to beep. When the guards waved him through, he resigned himself to his fate.
Finally, it was time to head to the gate. The flight was going to São Paulo.
‘So, do you know where São Paulo is?’ Eilif asked.
‘No,’ Steven huffed, intent on keeping up appearances.
‘Do you want to know?’ Ian asked, a smirk on his smug face.
‘Not really bothered,’ Steven added. He dug his heels in.
Eilif pulled a face and glanced at Ian, who then raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
Ian shru
gged his shoulders, ‘Drop the act, we know you’re curious. The sooner you cheer up the better. It’s not our fault you got left behind in the first place.’
Steven decided not to respond, kept his head down, and closed his eyes. Whatever his personal views, he was not going to give them the satisfaction of thinking he was impressed by any of it.
‘It’s in Brazil,’ Eilif stated.
Steven opened his eyes and saw Eilif heading off towards the bookstore. It would have been his usual haunt.
Waiting around at the departure lounge was excruciating. Several times, Steven held back the urge to run up to one of the guards and explain that he was being kidnapped. It felt like it anyway, regardless of the fact he had no way to prove it. It was unbelievable to think his destination was Brazil. He had never been to South America. Their final destination was Manaus, going via São Paulo. His knowledge of geography was scanty at best, but he had a feeling it was in the heart of the Amazon. It made sense to hide a new species of man in a place teeming with dangerous and unique wildlife.
Chapter 21
Journey To The Unknown
The flight from London to São Paulo took nearly twelve hours. Steven managed to watch two films and sleep for a proportion of the time. The flight was nearly full – the effect of the summer holidays, as a lot of tourists headed towards South America. A few children screamed throughout. It prompted a rise in volume. He could not understand why parents thought travelling with young children, on a long haul flight, was a good idea. The food was decent, as far as airline food went, and it kept hunger pangs at bay.
Steven noticed how Eilif and Ian blended in. He could see how they kept up the façade. There was no way anyone would ever suspect they were anything other than normal. It was still difficult for him to accept that he was going to need blood to survive. It was inconceivable. He could not fathom how he was going to develop the need to kill any of the people around him. He could see why they had told him he would not be a vampire. The species he apparently belonged to was different. In the same way human beings are natural omnivores, he would have to survive on a combination of food and blood. He was sure the concept of evolution had never been so complicated.
The wait at the transfer lounge took a few more hours, before they finally boarded the flight to Manaus.
After nearly a whole day of travelling, they landed with a jolt. As soon as the doors of the plane opened, Steven suppressed the urge to run out to freedom. In a sheep-like manner, he followed his companions to passport control and on to the arrivals lounge to retrieve their luggage, which seemed to have multiplied as Ian and Eilif hauled it off the conveyer belt. They had enough bags for six, not three. Having been unable to take his clothes with him, Steven was travelling light. It was doubtful his English wardrobe would have been suitable for a tropical climate.
Outside the airport, they headed for the car park and loaded up a four-wheel drive parked in the long stay car park. The car was far from impressive, with a well-worn green paint and dented sides.
The climate was scorching, even though humid. A light drizzle of rain provided the only relief. Steven climbed into the back seat in the car and looked out of the window as he considered his surroundings.
Ian turned to face him, ‘We still have a way to go. Try to be patient and enjoy the ride.’
Steven nodded. He didn’t exactly have any other choice.
After five minutes, Steven decided to ask a question, ‘So, why did you move to Brazil?’
‘I’ll let you do the talking now, Eilif. You know this as well as I do,’ Ian grunted.
‘Fair enough,’ Eilif replied, ‘The original fourteen left Los Alamos using the excuse they had to go back to Europe to help with the war effort. It was easy for them to fake their deaths – everyone seemed to be dying in the war.’
Steven hoped that was not an attempt at humour.
‘They moved to Mexico City. The ones that had already changed indulged their newfound needs and desires, before cementing their ideas for the future. After exhausting all the available possibilities, it was agreed they did not want to remain in civilisation as hunters. Their vision was to recreate a new civilisation – somewhere they would be protected from the outside world. Eventually, the community was born within the tropical undergrowth of the Amazon Jungle in Brazil. Their enthusiasm and vision allowed them to utilise their newfound abilities and scientific expertise to create a safe haven that would allow them to remain invisible. When Morten and Arla discovered they had retained their reproductive ability, everyone rejoiced. The first child born within the community was me. Those first few years are considered to have been amazing. As far as everyone was concerned they had created a utopia.’
‘It certainly was that,’ Ian guffawed.
Eilif grinned. ‘They led normal lives, fed off other mammals in the Amazon, and realised that they did not need to hunt humans. The complication arrived when Juan was a month away from his twentieth birthday.
Overnight, he developed a fever and became sick. Everyone thought he would die. Jeff was the one who recognised the symptoms. He had seen Emily and Anna succumb to the same conditions in Los Alamos. It had also happened on the advent of their twentieth birthday. He knew the only thing that would save Juan was human blood – and he was right. From then on, it became obvious all adolescents would have to return for human blood to complete the evolutionary process. Otherwise, they would die.’
Ian beeped the car horn three times. Someone had left their car in the middle of the road, doors open. The driver sauntered back, nonplussed. He glared in defiance at Ian, as he got back in to drive away.
Ian pulled a face and was about to hurl some abuse in the man’s direction when he reconsidered. ‘I don’t need a confrontation now,’ he huffed.
After ten more minutes of stop start driving, the car pulled into a space.
In a bid for fresh air, Steven opened the car door and got out to see where they were. It was obviously a main port. All around them people were going about their frantic business. A range of fishing boats littered the area and some makeshifts shacks were selling the fresh catch of the day.
Ian made his way down a pontoon.
Eilif grabbed one of the large suitcases and handed it to Steven, ‘Make yourself useful and take this over, will you?’
At the water’s edge, Steven took a minute to inspect the transportation. It looked like a very old and outdated version of a river cruise ship, about ninety feet in length. If he did not know any better, he could have sworn it was the ship used on an old Agatha Christie film adaptation of Death on the Nile years earlier. In the scheme of things it looked reasonably safe. Its size made him wary. He had no idea how much longer the trip would take.
Using all of his strength, he lugged the heavy and cumbersome suitcase up the narrow ramp.
As he was about to hoist it onto the floor, a hand reached out, grabbed it and threw it over their back as if it was a feather.
A cheeky voice said, ‘Is it a bit heavy for you?’
His felt his jaw drop. What shocked him at first was the fact she was so unbelievably strong. After he had got over that all he could feel was resentment. He had hoped to never see her again and now the reality of the situation dawned on him. She was one of them. Through gritted teeth, he said, ‘Ingrid, we meet again.’
‘Did you miss me?’ she teased, her manner coquettish.
‘Hardly,’ he murmured. He stared away from her and pretended to study the floor.
To his surprise, another woman came out from behind Ingrid and held out her hand. She had short black hair, chocolate brown eyes and a tanned complexion. She was totally different to Ingrid. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you Steven. I’m Ingrid’s mum, Lana. I’ve heard a lot about you.’
The fact her name was Lana made him stop and think. If he remembered correctly, she was one of the original Santos children. ‘Right, I hope some of it was good,’ he said. As he looked from one to the other, he rolled his eyes, ‘I guess
I’ll get used to the age thing eventually.’
‘I’m sure you will,’ Ingrid added.
‘I’ve got work to do. I’ll see you later.’ Lana gave a curt nod, glanced at Ingrid for a split second as though wary, and walked away. He got the impression she had only come up to see what he looked like. He wondered what Ingrid had told her about him.
‘I’m not usually one to bear grudges, but I think you’ve got a heck of a lot of explaining to do,’ Steven stressed, head cocked to the side, arms folded.
‘We’ve got the whole trip. I’ll answer as much as I can.’ She seemed to stare at him, in a strange, glassy-eyed, kind of way.
‘So, what happens now?’ he asked, as he shoved his hands into his trouser pockets.
‘We’ll be heading off soon. Your new home awaits. It really is nice to see you again.’
‘So are you ready?’ Ian called out, as he pulled another box on to the vessel. He sounded at ease.
‘As ready as I’ll ever be,’ Steven replied. There was no point acting childish.
Ian laughed out loud and walked off. He was still busy with the preparations. A lot of bags and extra supplies continued to arrive on the ship. Steven was not the sort to mope, so he figured he might as well pitch in. After loading the car onto the ship with a jib crane, the ramp was raised and they were ready to go.
The spluttering sound of the motor started, and Ian called out, ‘At least the motor’s still working.’
Finally, they cruised up river. The journey seemed never-ending. Steven was convinced they were travelling to the end of the earth.
As they left the harbour, a group of river dolphins swam next to the boat. It was plain they did not have a care in the world. The way they frolicked in the waves and swooped in and out of the surf made Steven jealous. He yearned to have that sense of freedom again. He leant overboard and was splashed in the face as a dolphin leapt up out of the water. With the back of his arm he brushed the water off his face and could not help chuckling. He lost track of time as he saw the dense undergrowth ahead and civilisation disappear. He wondered when he would be with normal humans again.
Steven was taken aback as he noticed something weird happen to the river water, as the dark colour of the river they came from met with the light-green coloured water up ahead. The waters eased alongside each other, stubborn in their quest to remain independent. It was a metaphor for his life – two sides that refused to mix. He heard someone come up behind him, yet he pretended he did not know they were there and continued to study the water.