“Ready?” Miranda’s voice sounded from the cracked-open doors to the locker room. I stood up from one of the benches that lined the nearest isle, motioning to my dirty clothes pile, wondering what I was going to do with it. “Leave them there, they’ll get washed and back to you.” She waved me over impatiently. I scurried to the door and followed her out and down into the quiet hallway once more. I wondered if it would be Rye getting my dirty clothes and suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. I wanted to ask Miranda about him, about her and about Blaze. Heck, about everyone here for that matter.
“Where are we headed?” I inquired, keeping pace with her as we turned down the hall, not toward the tunnel meeting area but the other way, deeper into the underground. Her long hair was clean and lay in soft brown waves down her back. She had also changed into a clean set of clothes, similar to the ones she had worn before. Her slender figure showed smooth muscles under her form-fitting brown T-shirt. She was similar in build to me and I wondered if I was wearing her clothes.
I sighed, feeling my sore muscles still complaining with each stride. The hot shower had helped, but I was ready to crash. The day had worn me down with every little scrape and cut. I was hoping this so-called meeting wasn’t going to last forever.
“To introduce you to the group, and see what plans Blaze has for us.” Miranda said tightly, as though she was not looking forward to this either. I gulped, feeling her tension slide into me as we walked down the long underground tunnel, our footsteps echoing across the cold stone masonry of the walls. I subconsciously ran my fingers across the hilts of my machetes and bandoleer sheaths. I felt overdressed, like for a fight, but I didn’t know what could happen when we arrived at our destination. I was willing to bet the distain in Miranda’s voice was but a clue of what was in store.
We came to the end of the hall where she entered a code and a series of locks clicked in succession, releasing the door. She pulled it open to reveal a large room, brightly lit overhead with spotlights that strung along the tall ceiling, much like in a warehouse. Steel beams ran along the roof, braced with more beams, riveting the structured array. The room was filled with people. They casually hung in small groups or individually throughout the large room. The ripples of murmurs echoed in the airy space, but seemed to hush the moment we entered. I wanted to retreat into the sanctity of the tunnel but gritted my teeth as I followed Miranda closely.
The crowd once again parted for her as we made our way to an elevated stage, where Blaze awaited us. His face was hard, his arms crossed on his wide chest. He was still in the same attire as before, though this time I noticed a large knife sheathed to his belt on his right side. It was a Rambo kind of blade based on the size of it. I hoped he didn’t have to use it too often.
Miranda turned as she ascended the few steps up to the stage, motioning for me to go faster, but I had stopped to stare at the hissing vampires that were closing the space between me and them. I wanted to swat at them but decided it was better to not piss them off. I glared back at them, disgusted at the display of fangs that accompanied their wild noises.
“Enough!” Blaze’s voice boomed over us and the crowd seemed to step back away from me. Relieved, I continued up the steps behind Miranda where Blaze, now with his hands at his sides, awaited. She whispered to him and then left the stage by the opposite side. I felt naked, looking down at the myriad of faces staring up at me, some with anger splayed across their faces, some with curiosity flickering in their eyes. Nonetheless, I could feel the sweat beads gathering around my forehead and chest. My heart raced like lightning inside, making me wonder if I would die of a heart attack before anything else. The surprises I was getting of late were not helping.
“April, Miranda told me what has happened to your family,” he said as he studied me. His eyes narrowed, pondering what he was going to say next. I glanced from him to the crowd around us, now engrossed with the scene before them. I felt naked and exposed. The hordes of fangs that lingered in the room were overwhelming, and my anxiety grew tenfold.
“Do you know why you’re here?” Blaze’s voice made me turn back to the burly vampire. His jeweled eyes gleamed under the bright lights above, making them look like blue fire. I shook my head, not trusting my voice for my breath had gotten stuck in my throat. “You’re here because you are one of the only known humans left in Las Vegas. Most died or mutated into wilding vampires, changed from the deadly virus that killed everyone else. Not us though, we are not like the savage vampires you see on the streets. We are different, a hybrid of some sort. Changed, as you are, but somehow you have a resistance to it. No one has been left unaffected.”
He paused, studying my features for whatever it was he was looking for. My face paled as I felt my blood drain to my feet. I tried to slow my breathing and bent my knees a bit, hoping not to pass out in front of the horde of hungry-looking vampires. They weren’t skinny, but they looked a bit ravenous to me. I wondered again just how they all fed here. I was pretty certain that my blood must have smelt like a delicious entrée perfuming the room.
“April,” Blaze’s voice came to me as a whisper. I pulled my eyes away from the crowd to stare at him again. I wanted this over with, in so many ways.
“Yes?” I asked.
“We won’t harm you April, we need you. The virus didn’t affect you the same way it did us or the wildlings. We would like to sample your blood to see what sort of immunities you have developed. It would help us immensely.” His voice was cold and serious. He couldn’t even feign affection or plead in any way.
Sample my blood?
“N–no!” I answered. I took a step away from him and felt the panic surge as it overtook me. I had to get it together or I would die right there and then from either passing out, getting eaten by hungry mouths or die fighting. I was pretty sure they all weren’t good choices.
“Please don’t,” Blaze requested. His tone made me freeze in my steps. My hand held my machete, ready to swing away. I was certain I was dead for sure now. I glanced around at the gasping and murmurs that echoed around the room. I was a rat in a maze. I had to weigh my options, which were pretty much none, so I put my machete back into place at my side.
“That’s better. A bit skittish, aren’t you?” he snickered as I pressed my lips together, finding him rather annoying and sounding like Miranda. I felt the beat of my heart slow slightly as I breathed in, willing myself to calm down. I still didn’t want to give him my blood, even if it was for “research.” Yet, he did have a point; somehow, I was immune to this devastating disease that had killed everyone I had ever laid eyes on.
“I don’t understand why you would need my blood or why I’m even here.” I said. “All I want is to find my family and if you guys don’t know where they are or you don’t want to help me, then I have to go.” This time I waited. I had a certain morbid curiosity of these beings. I knew they all had once been human but my fear kept my walls up around me–a deep sanctuary within myself. Could I ever accept these vampires as friends?
As for Miranda–I had gained some respect for her. Blaze, he seemed to be a strong leader here but still, I had no knowledge of their true intentions. I was afraid, pure and simple. Afraid to let them be my only recourse, afraid to no longer be on my own where things were predictable. Most of all, did it mean that I would never see my family again? It seemed that if I gave in to this craziness surrounding me, that I would lose my life again. A second death I wasn’t willing to go through.
“I understand how skeptical you must be after dealing with the wildling vampires. I assure you, no one here will harm you. We need you, April. Our lives depend on you.” Blaze’s voice echoed in my head, making me suddenly want to fall down. The overwhelming emotions inside me wanted to spill over and threatened to do so. One tear slid silently down my cheek as I stared at his broad shoulders, avoiding his gaze. His hair was dark and shined under the bright overheads above. I risked a glance up, finding his eyes hard and still, waiting for my answer.
Miranda moved a litt
le by the other side of the stage, noticing my distress. I wondered what she was thinking. Maybe she thought about just how weak and pathetic I was. The gravity of my situation made me want to crumble to the floor. I wanted to run out of there as fast as I could. Even though it was a huge underground warehouse, it felt like the air was stale and the walls were shrinking around me.
“Come on.” Blaze came past me, fetching my hand as he brushed by. He pulled me along, down the stairs and into the locked hallway that held the locker room. Miranda was briskly behind us and locked the heavy metal door. Tears now stained my face as I stared back at both of them. My body shook and my voice failed me as I gulped down a sob. I wanted to hide–feeling so small and overwhelmed, especially since crying in front of vampires made me feel like a little child.
“Miranda, tell her what we know.”
“Excuse me?” Miranda’s eyes widened at Blaze, as though she couldn’t believe what he was saying. “I thought we were going to wait until….” Her voice was cut off by Blaze’s impatient tone.
“Now, Miranda. She can’t help us if she doesn’t know.” His jaw was tense and his eyes glared at her as he waited for her to follow his order.
“Alright then,” Miranda hissed. She turned toward me and handed me a tissue. I wondered how, in all this craziness, she had gotten a tissue. I accepted it and wiped at my face. My sudden arrest loosened at their words.
“We know where you mother and brother are.” Her voice came out calm and serious, making my heart quicken as the worst possible scenarios jumped into my head.
“You do? Where are they?” I waited, wanting to shake it out of her. My breath seemed to quicken as my shallow breaths surged with her words. If she didn’t tell me now, I was going to lose my mind. “Well?” I demanded.
“They are not here, first of all,” Miranda said, feeling the tension radiating off me. “A rival vampire group has them.” She gulped, pausing as she watched for my reaction.
“You mean a group like yours?” I sucked my breath in. The time it took her to answer felt like forever.
“Yes. Although, they are not exactly like us.” Her eyes studied my face as my stomach dropped inside. I was not sure if I wanted to know what made them different.
“What do you mean?” I inquired.
A silent conversation seemed to pass between her and Blaze, their eyes flashing to each other as they pondered what to say. My patience wore thin as I bit my lip to stop the harsh words that could sting from pouring out. I didn’t know if I liked these vampires or loathed them. With every passing second, my feelings were beginning to waver toward the latter.
Finally, Miranda sighed, giving a slight nod of her head as she slid her eyes back to me. I could tell she didn’t want to tell me what she was about to say. I hoped that it wasn’t bad news, but the dread crept into me anyway.
“They are mutated like us, vampires who can think and act human with super powers and can roam in the daytime. But,” Miranda sucked in her breath, looking somewhat tired after the long day, “they use the wildling vampires as slaves. They have somehow transformed them to obey orders and keep hordes of them as their army of death. We leave each other alone for the most part but we have a double agent in their hive who keeps us informed. She told us that they have your mother and brother.”
“Are they alive? Are they infected?” My voice quivered and I could feel the sweat beading once again on my forehead.
“Yes, they’re alive and no, they’re not infected. But they are well guarded in that lab of theirs. They are being treated well so far. They’re just drawing some of their blood at frequent intervals to study and experiment on.” Miranda paused as she let me soak it in with a mixture of relief and concern.
“So how do I get them out of there?” I asked, desperately wanting to have them with me now that I knew someone who knew where they were. The longer they remained in the clutches of rival vampires, the longer I risked not seeing them ever again.
“We’re not sure; we’ll have to consult with our contact again before we try anything, get a layout of their hive and possible numbers of their horde of wildlings,” Blaze answered.
I turned toward the vampire leader, his eyes still blank as I scanned them for details. I realized my demands were great; to take on a whole other hive would be detrimental to this one if not done right. I felt suddenly concerned that I would definitely sacrifice them in a minute if it meant it would save my family. I averted my eyes to examine the spongy texture of the bricks lining the hall, afraid he would be able to read this off me if I wasn’t careful. I had to win them over somehow, get them to do this for me, or I was doomed.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” I whispered.
“Excuse me?” Blaze suddenly looked confused at my answer.
“I mean the blood tests. I’ll do them, if you’ll help me figure out how to save my family,” I said. The gravity of my words filled me with serenity, something that I used to have so much of. This new determination had me suddenly focused and my anxiety had faded away. It was a like a fog had lifted with these few words and I knew this was what was going to be my chance at feeling alive again.
“Thank you, April,” Miranda hugged me suddenly, causing me to almost fall over. She laughed as though she had expected the worst. I gave her a small laugh, her contagious mood making me smile. Blaze was also smiling but did not offer a hug. I gave him a tight grin as he waved for me to follow him down the hall toward the labs. I hoped that it wouldn’t take too long for I felt like I could’ve fallen into bed and slept for days.
Chapter Seventeen