Immortal Coil: A Novel (Immortal Trilogy Book 1) (17 page)

Of course it only took a second of confusion for her to realize what had happened. Maggie left the confused and panicked hospital personnel standing around the empty bed without offering any explanation. She raced through the hospital to the parking lot where the Zephyr waited. She stormed into the Zephyr, and found Antony straddling David. Antony finished draining David then turned his head to look at Maggie. She saw tears gleaming in his red eyes, making it seem as though he were crying tears of blood.

Antony and Randal hadn’t been by to see David because they had been spending the remainder of their night building a new compartment. Actually, Antony determined it would be more spatially prudent to create a smaller compartment for Randal, while David and Antony would share the larger compartment. Also, Antony did not want David waking in darkness alone. Even for a vampire this could be distressing.

In the end, Antony realized he didn’t want David to die. He positioned David in the compartment under the table. He helped Randal into the new compartment which was a four-and-a-half-foot box made of 3-inch stainless steel built into the floor inside the cabinet under the sink. Randal stood 4’ 2 inches and fit snuggly into the new compartment. Antony climbed into the compartment with David, and before closing the lid, Maggie said: “Thank you.”

“I will see you tonight,” Antony said and closed the lid.

Maggie drove the Zephyr away from the hospital. She spent the day finding a campground where the Zephyr could be stored in relative seclusion. The fact that she was the last human in the group was not lost on her. This fact bore down on her most immensely as the loneliness hit her. She napped, then woke and worked out a viable list of prey. There was now a need for seven targets. She hadn’t realized how daunting this task was when David shared the responsibility. But by nightfall, she had the unlucky prey planned out.

David woke to darkness with a start. He reached out and touched the cold steel box in which he lay, he moved his hand along the cold steel wall until his fingers found a face lying near. His fingers continued to grope in the dark until they found a mouth with sharp teeth. David froze.

“Good morning,” Antony said and expelled David’s fingers from his mouth. Antony reached across David’s chest to unbolt the lock. The lid opened and light flooded into the compartment. David adjusted to the glare, and with his new heightened senses heard the breathing from a source of food nearby. He heard the rustle of clothes, as well as an enticing heartbeat in the prey’s chest. He could smell the blood. The drive to feed took over and David flew from the compartment, landing on the source of the heartbeat. He worried at the neck near the carotid which was where the smell of blood was strongest, but his flat teeth were not effective. The form beneath David thrashed and screamed. David bit into the flesh with the jaw strength of a jaguar and tore a gaping hole in the throat. The soothing rapturous flow of blood filled his mouth and he gulped down the delicious flood. When the blood slowed and the heart stopped, David sat up and looked at what he had done.

Blood covered the man David had just drained. The blood dripped onto the floor and puddled around the body. The man was bare to the waist and his hands were zip tied behind his back.

Maggie entered the Zephyr just as David stood. He wiped at the blood on his chin with the back of his hand. He watched her with red and bleary eyes. She ran to him and hugged him without fear, ignoring the blood soaked hospital gown he still wore from the night before.

“Thank you,” she whispered to no one in particular.

David hugged her for several long minutes then pulled away and looked into her face. His red eyes were once again that beautiful shade of blue with flecks of green.

“I’m sorry,” he said to her.

“Sorry for what?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” David looked around, confused. He glanced at the blood he had gotten on her blouse when they hugged. “For making such an awful mess, I guess.”

She laughed. “As long as you clean that up, what do I care?” She examined her bloody clothes. “I guess we can’t expect much from a fledgling vampire.”

“That was not a graceful display,” Antony said. David turned to him.

David smiled and hugged him.

“You gave me the gift. Thank you. I know you did not make that decision lightly.” David’s voice grew thick with emotion. He held Antony’s gaze for a long time.

“I have told you,” Antony said at last. “What we are is hardly a gift.”

David laughed.

Randal had awakened before David and Antony, and was the first to greet Maggie that night. Randal fed on a pedophile, which had been drugged and slumped over on the sofa. He had been out destroying the body when David woke, but now returned. Randal stood in the doorway and stared at the newly made vampire.

“Just what we need,” Randal said. “Another mouth to feed around here.”

David smiled. “I’m happy to see you, too. Finished your meal already?”

“Dead and buried,” Randal said. “What can I say? I’m an early riser.”

“You removed the head?” Antony asked.

“Yes, of course.”

Antony glanced over Maggie’s notes. He and David picked out which prey they wished to hunt. When they had their prey picked out, and knew where to find them, Antony told David to leave the Zephyr using his new speed. With a smile, David agreed. In a flash of movement that was too fast for Maggie to see, David moved to the door…

…but slammed into it and bounced off.

Maggie laughed but covered her mouth, embarrassed. “Sorry, but that was so funny I almost peed!”

“What did I do wrong?” he asked Antony.

It was Randal who answered.

“You forgot that you can move your hands as fast as your legs. Use that speed to open the door.”

“Very well stated,” Antony said. “He is absolutely correct. Your entire body is capable of moving at the speed of sound. It is this that causes the crackling sound as you move. It is a telltale sign that someone near you is moving with a vampire’s ability.”

Maggie nodded, it was the sound reminiscent of those sparkling fireworks with a crackling effect as they dropped.

“There will be time enough for learning,” Antony said. “I will show you more another time. We will be driving back to the house in Philadelphia after finishing up with our hunt. We must leave here and think about how to proceed with the destruction of the enemy. We will return when we have a plan of action. We are too well known here at the present time. We will return when the events of the past few days are not so fresh in the minds of the people here.”

David improved greatly on his second and third targets that night, spilling very little blood. He used a razor instead of his teeth to open the artery, and learned to time his throat muscles to spasm with the pulse of the prey’s heartbeat. Blood poured down his gullet as if the prey and the vampire were one being. He also learned to control the flood of memories that pounded through his mind as he drank. Confusing at first, David remembered Antony explaining how drinking the blood produced memory transference from prey to vampire. It was all very exhilarating.

David chose to drive the Zephyr back to Philadelphia. Maggie rode in the passenger seat. He caught her smiling at him several times.

“You’re looking again,” David said, catching her out of the corner of his eye.

“Can I help it if I’m ecstatic that you are back and better than ever? I agonized over your broken body for days before Antony finally came to his senses and took you. I watched you die again and again until I was sure that the next time you died, you would not be revived.”

Then Maggie stopped talking and stared out at the lonely night, looking into the far distance of the past; seeing something there that she would never get back.

“Maggie, what’s wrong?”

She looked back at him.

“I’ve got something to tell you, David. I didn’t think I would get a chance to tell you, but— “

“What is it?”

Maggie’s fingernail suddenly became very interesting. She couldn’t stop looking at it. Her bottom lip quivered as she worried at the small bit of flesh that grew over the bottom of the cuticle. Her eyes glistened with the threat of tears.

“Please tell me what’s on your mind. You’re worrying me.”

“I just feel so lonely. I miss your presence during the day. We used to have such great times during the day. As I plan the nightly events, I think about you and how we used to work so well together. I’m the only human in the group. I’m the odd girl out.”

“Do you want me to change you? I probably could you know— “

“No!” Maggie screamed and clutched her stomach protectively.

“I was just kidding. I would never do anything against your will.” David was concerned. He never wanted her to worry that he would ever hurt her in any way.

“I know.”

“Are you afraid of me?”

“No.”

“I would never hurt you. You know that right?”

“Yes.”

“God, Maggie if you think I would do anything to hurt you— “

Then she was blurting it out: she just couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I’m pregnant, David.” She said. “I’m pregnant with your baby!”

The Zephyr screeched to a shuttering halt, and listed to the right edge of the road. Outside a cloud of dust swirled past the windows. David stared at Maggie with his eyes glazed over and a smile forming on his lips. Shaking from the excitement, David reached out and took Maggie’s hands in his. He pulled her into a hug.

A baby!
David thought.
The vampire and mortal woman were having a baby. What a strange and different family dynamic this was turning out to be.

David drove back to their home in Philadelphia wrapped in a fog of joy and pride that allowed no room for negative thoughts. He gave the monster they were hunting no thought at all until the initial shock of the news had begun to subside.

The vampire raged at what he saw as nothing less than a betrayal. Why would another vampire care who he chose as prey? How pretentious this other vampire was. The killer vampire’s rage intensified, and his madness sharpened his rage until it was a diamond-tipped drill bit; a weapon which he pointed at the one who had stolen his pet. Not only was his pet stolen, but he had to settle for hobos and schizophrenics. Useless trash that barely even knew what was happening to them. How bland they had tasted. At least he had killed the pathetic human male that had been in his path during his escape; and if there had been time, he would have drained the troublesome fool as well. For that matter, why would a mere human travel with a vampire? How did the other vampire control the urge to feed on his human pet? And the worst betrayal of all: the human knew what they were. No human should ever know vampires exist. The human had even meant to help fight against him. It was all so preposterous. Besides, what did that other vampire have against him, anyway? They had never crossed paths, and to his knowledge he had never stolen prey from that other vampire. The other should have left well enough alone. How often had he, the father of the roped boy, inadvertently stumbled upon another vampire’s domain? Too often to count, he surmised. He had moved carefully through the hunting grounds of other vampires during his century or more of roaming the land. Never had he had the audacity to come between another vampire and their prey. The one who had taken his pet had crossed that line, and would have to be taught the error of his ways.

He knew of the tabloids calling him the Houseguest Killer, but that was not a name he approved of. He would need a new name. He would need to tell the army what to call him; the army he intended to create and fight against that bothersome vampire. He decided The Master would suffice. And so that same night, having lost his opportunity with that last family he had chosen, The Master had picked his first disciple. He found a murderous looking soul wandering the streets and offered to make him immortal. And although the man first took this as some kind of joke, The Master soon showed him it was not. He took the man, draining him, and then carried his corpse back to the mansion. The Master then returned to the streets and found two more victims on which to feed. These two were not worthy of the gift and so were destroyed. The following night, when the new disciple rose, the two went out into the squalid neighborhoods to feed. The Master had learned his lesson, and chose only the bums, the destitute and the infirm for his meals. No one would be missed. There would be no more high-profile attacks from the very heavily publicized Houseguest Killer. When The Master found a potential disciple, he brought this one back to the mansion and offered him—or her—the gift. It was important that his minions want to join him. He would not risk another runaway.

Within a month of this recruitment strategy, The Master had three loyal disciples. After two months, his ranks had swelled to seven.

However, after six months and ten disciples, something unusual began to happen. His minion horde began to dwindle. Upon awakening some nights, one or two of his newest minions would be turned to crusty shells. Although the horde slumbered in the basement where no daylight could touch them, there would be a drop in their numbers the following night.

To rectify this, The Master purchased more coffins. All his disciples would need their own coffins in which to slumber during the death sleep. He focused on twelve. Twelve coffins for twelve disciples, how fitting.

But this, he learned, would not be the solution to his problem. Even inside the coffins his minions were not safe. For several nights, The Master continued to wake to empty coffins. Perhaps his minions were fighting amongst themselves, trying to develop a hierarchy. Perhaps there needed to be a pecking order.

His very first vampire disciple was still with him. This one, he determined, would be his second in command. He judged the rest to be fledglings. They were to obey The Master above all else, and they would obey the second in command in The Master’s absence.

This seemed to work. The number of missing slowed to only one or two a month, of which he promptly replaced.

After a year the number of missing disciples tapered off and The Master finally had his twelve disciples.

Of the twelve, The Master had eight males and four females. He taught them to fight. He taught them the basics of the hunt and the finer points on how to kill other vampires. His followers obeyed his every command. There was only one incident of dissention in the ranks. It was time for the vampires to prove their skills.

The vampires were labeled one through twelve. Number Six was a hairy beast of a thing who did not want a number. “My name is Sam, and I expect to be called Sam,” he said to the group.

“You are Number Six,” said Number Four, a female. “Live with it.”

Six laughed. “I don’t have to live with anything anymore,” he said. “I died, remember? We all did. You are a stupid bitch.”

The Master had overheard the conversation and instructed the group to attack with only a look.

The group fell on Number Six with the ferocity of a pack of hungry wolves. There were screams of rage and screams of pain. When the attack was finished, and there was nothing left of Number Six but body parts strung from one side of the room to the other, The Master renumbered his troops. Seven was the new Six; Eight was the new Seven, and so on.

The Master instructed his corpse boy to clean up the mess. Corpse boy worked diligently, disposing of the remains thoroughly. Afterward, there was hardly a speck of proof that the slaughter had occurred.

That night The Master created a new Number Twelve: a male.

His new Number Twelve accepted his rank without question.

Weeks after the disposal of the dissenter, The Master deemed it was time to tell his horde why they had been assembled. “We must go to war,” he said. “There is an enemy out there that must be destroyed. It has been determined, by me, that this vampire is a nuisance to all vampires and his punishment for this discretion is death.”

“We’ve already shown what one vampire will face when we work together as a team,” said Number Four. Others in the group mumbled their agreement.

“Do not be overconfident. This is not a mere infant. This vampire could possibly have been around as long as I have been, or even longer. I have no way of knowing. We cannot overestimate him. He has proven himself very resourceful in a fight, and he is not alone.”

“How many vampires does he travel with?” a male voice asked.

“Only one,” the master said.

Laughter erupted in the group.

“It’s a vampire child.”

The laughter grew.

The master growled and the laughter stopped abruptly.

“Do not be fooled by this. A child vampire can be just as strong, and as dangerous, as any vampire. In some ways, they can be more dangerous. They tend to be faster, and more resilient: harder to kill, in other words. But that is not all that we must face.”

The horde grew silent and listened intently to The Master’s every word.

“He travels with a woman; she is a human, yes, but she has an amazing power. This woman is—she is a witch, I guess. She has the power of sight. She will see us coming and will be able to warn her vampire counterpart. She must be made a priority target. We will eliminate her first, then the main target.”

“What about the child?” asked a female designated as Number Four. He was impressed by her question. Maybe he should have made her the commanding force.

“The child vampire belongs to me. He is to be brought to me unharmed. I will have my roped boy back. If he will not be swayed to stay by my side as my personal pet, well…well then, I will be the one to destroy him. Do I make myself clear?”

Everyone agreed.

When the group disbursed, The Master hunted in the homeless section of Allentown. The bodies were buried in the surrounding mountains. The Master hated the taste of bums and outcasts. He longed for the days when he could return to feeding on the upper middle class families that had been his favorite meal for so long. He was proud of his disciples and would reward them with lavish gifts upon completion of their task.

Of course he would also have to destroy them. There was no way he could allow so many of his own creations to walk the earth. There was too big a risk that their presence would be unfavorable for him in the future. But there was plenty of time to figure out that mess later. As soon as the more pressing thorn in his side was destroyed, cleanup on the horde could begin.

He watched his creations when they were not aware of his presence. They were following his rules well. He had forbid them to take any minions of their own. Their prey was to be of the dregs of society. Prostitutes, bums, and criminals were going to be declining in numbers in the hillside towns and valleys of the Pocono Mountains.

Upon watching the final few of his minions returning to the mansion, The Master ordered the corpse boy to ready the coffins. Corpse boy was expected to open the lids and see to it that all the coffins were sealed tightly upon closure after each vampire was put to rest. Unfortunately, the corpse boy did not communicate. Otherwise, The Master would ask him to watch over the coffins, and report to him if he saw any vampires that were waking early and killing others while they slept. He suspected the culprit to be his second in command. If he caught his second in the act of doing this heinous deed, he would deal with it. Until the perpetrator was caught, however, The Master’s hands were tied.

Soon the horde would be on the move. The Master would have to prepare some mode of travel for himself and his twelve. Corpse boy was a big help, but he could hardly be expected to drive whatever form of transportation The Master chose for the trip. Corpse boy would have to stay behind and look after the mansion. The lump of rotten flesh would only be in the way on this mission.

The Master saw to it that everyone was laid to rest then he himself climbed into the only unoccupied coffin, and allowed the corpse boy to close the lid. Once inside, he bolted the lid, locking himself in place.

All the vampires were reposed. The mansion took on the silence of a monastery. The only sound was the shuffling gait as the corpse boy moved through the mansion. The boy staggered up the steps to the basement and into the attached garage. He grabbed something off the work bench then returned with the object to the basement. The boy placed a hand on first one coffin, then another. The boy moved through the maze of coffins until he found the one he wanted.

The corpse boy lifted the lid.

Inside the coffin, Number Four lay in the pink silk lining of her coffin, resting peacefully. Then, with both hands, the corpse boy lifted the machete he had retrieved from the work bench and cut off her head. The body turned into a husk of dried leather and the head crumbled into a pile of gray ash.

The corpse boy closed the lid and returned the machete to the garage.

He then retired to a corner of the basement, curled up into a fetal position and waited for night to fall.