A Grave Hunger (19 page)

Through all the gunfire, slicing and methodical screams, I heard a familiar, throaty voice. I looked up into the clear night. And down from the blackness came someone I never thought I would see again in all my days alive.

"I knew a hunter such as you wouldn't pass up the chance to become a real hero," said Calhoun as he landed beside me. Calhoun and I had hunted together several times over the years. An old friend of Robert's, he had been around a lot as I was growing up. He was a proficient hunter, who had saved my ass several times. I was glad Ryan had contacted him about the fight. If I could choose anyone to join me in this battle, it would be him. He had retired from the life a few years ago due to a near fatal explosion whilst hunting. I was glad he had decided to come out of retirement for this night. We could use all the help we could get. He was accompanied by a swarm of followers, a least a hundred that I could tell. Now the odds were in our favour.

"I've never been so glad to see someone," I said as I reloaded. "Now let's get the kids and head home."

Calhoun had a reputation for being slightly eccentric, a quality that was accentuated by today's attire. He was dressed as a cowboy from head to toe: cowboy hat, denim clothing and boots. He wore spiked bracelets specially made to fit from the wrist to just below the elbow, matching the spikes on his boots. Although his face was in the cover of darkness, I could still see the glimmer of his disfigured eyes, and the ailing complexion of his dead, 3rd degree burned skin.

"Agreed," said Calhoun.

"I second that," Ryan entered.

"I third," Luke said.

We pushed and shoved our way toward the structure.

Somewhere between the slashing and barrage of gunfire, I felt an excruciating pain burst through my skull. I fell to my knees and grasped my head, feeling the thick liquid ooze from my skull. I fought against the darkness that threatened to overpower me, but then everything went black.

*****

My lids felt heavy as I struggled to open my eyes. A wave of nausea flooded through me, and I squeezed my eyes shut. I heard a faint dripping coming from some place behind me, and the whimpers of children. A lightening flash of pain erupted in my head as I opened my eyes. Everything was a blur. I could make out three shadows, the shapes of people. They were lined up. The one in the centre was rolling up his left sleeve. As my sight cleared, I only had one thought:

I was in the enemy's lair.

The leader shoved its claw into the flesh of its forearm and slid it downward, stopping at the wrist. Its tainted blood leaked to the rubble, and as it approached me, it said, "And now for the Pièce de résistance."

I wanted to lunge at the beast. But I couldn't. I found myself being bound to two wooden posts that had been dug snugly into the ground. My arms and legs were spread eagle. I was defenceless. I struggled against my restraints, the action sending harpoons of agony firing through my body. I looked to my right and saw my gear and weapons on a stone carved into a flat surface. To my left was the school bus. I could see the children, but only their heads, as they remained seated. They were probably bound to the seats. My senses were beginning to come back. I heard the gunshots and screams of the battle. I sniffed the air. The dripping noise was not water. It was gas. Infuriated, I yelled out, "So your plan was to kill them? Innocent children? Are you serious!" Anger made my cheeks burn.

"Of course not. The game is to see if your friends can rescue them in time." The vampire cocked its head to the side and grinned. "While they are distracted with the kids, you're going to turn the hunters. Quite genius if I do say so myself," the game warden said as he made his way to stand in front of me.

I laughed mirthlessly. "Clever. Turn hunters into vampires, and get them to do your dirty work for you." I suppressed the fear rushing through my body. As far as dastardly plans went, this was a good one. Hunters were a close knit group. What better way to kill someone than to get an ally to do it. No one would suspect anything until it was too late.

It smiled menacingly, teeth glistening in the darkness. The monster looked me in the eye as it raised an arm that was dripping with blood. The smile grew wider as I furiously shook my head to avoid even taking the slightest bit of it into my mouth. "Hold his head steady," it ordered the two henchmen.

I couldn't resist. After struggling to the point of weakness, I closed my eyes and prayed it was all a dream. As the blood hit my tongue, I could feel the sting and the instant rise of my heartbeat. I screamed as my body burned of its kinship. My skin felt like it was boiling. I unclamped my eyes and looked to my hands; they were bubbling with boils and leaking blood, my blood. I shook like a down-on-his-luck junkie in need of another mortar hit. Sharp bursts of pain shot through me, my body convulsing with each torrent. The sound of a deep snarl reverberated through my ears. I flinched, realising the sound was coming from me.

I blinked furiously, trying to clear my vision. It was as if I were in a tunnel. Everything seemed so far and distant. As I felt colder and colder, my senses kicked in to overdrive. I could smell the metallic scent of my blood, the bitter smell of a charcoal fire, the decomposing odour of fallen leaves, and everything else surrounding me. The sounds of terrified whimpers came from somewhere outside my confinement. At some point in my agonising torture, someone had got the children out. Relief swept through me. They would be safe. In my weakened state, I slumped over in my bondage, my bound wrists taking the weight of my body. The wooden posts in which I was tied uprooted themselves from the ground under my weight and I hit the rubble hard, regurgitating blood.

I struggled to focus. The overwhelming terror of what I was becoming had me paralysed.

I looked upward to my captors. They were no longer there. I was alone. No, I wasn't alone. The aroma hit me first, like a roundhouse kick, making my throat blaze painfully. I cried out as my stomach spasmed with an overpowering thirst, which sent my muscles automatically tightening. There was something else there with me. I could hear the gentle padding of footsteps, the paws shuffling through the gravel. The scent was overwhelming, clouding my mind and saturating my senses until I could think of nothing else. It was an urge, a craving. I could not stop. I could feel myself becoming stronger, my muscles pulsing with a power I had never before experienced. I snatched my legs free of their ties and leaped to my feet. My instincts taking over, I pounced at what roamed in the darkness. I drove my teeth into the animal and drank greedily, savouring the liquid as it washed past my tongue. The act incited the most primeval of urges, and lit an inferno that consumed me.

"Finlay!"

That voice was all too familiar. When I turned to face Leah, I could do nothing but hiss. A look of pure horror crossed her face. It was the look that will forever be burned into my memory.

I could hear footfalls of the others as they approached. I heard Ryan and Luke asking of my condition. I saw Calhoun as he walked into sight, acknowledging that the battle was over. They all froze when they saw me, all three faces mirroring Leah's.

But I was only thankful that the children would now be in good hands.

"He's one of 'em." Leah sobbed, never taking her eyes from mine. I took one last look at her distraught face and then bolted into the dark night.

Chapter 32

I pushed a strand of hair away from her face and kissed her softly. Her naked body trembled slightly beneath mine as we rocked in unison. Her warmth surrounded me, and I lost myself in the heat of her body and felt the ecstasy taking over. Her warm centre massaged me with every movement, sending me into a frenzy.

"I love you," she said. Her striking blue eyes regarded me lovingly.

As the crescendo built, she writhed against me. The fire blazed until I couldn't control it any more. The sound of her blood rushing through her veins roared in my ears. I struggled to clear my head of the sweet, fragrant scent of her blood, which clouded my mind like a dense fog. The fever took over. Unable to resist any longer, I succumbed. The call of her blood was too strong.

Her blue eyes widened in shock and fear, as she watched my teeth descend. I saw the monster reflected in her wide, terrified eyes. She screamed, the shrill pulsing in my ears. I smiled in response.

I pulled back my hips and drove into her hard as I bit into the soft flesh of her neck, surrendering to the release. Tasting the sweet blood as it flowed down my throat, satiating my hunger. She struggled beneath me. I continued to drink until her thrashing became weaker and weaker, until it finally stopped all together.

Leaning back, I regarded her still, lifeless body.

"Yeah, love you too Leah," I said coldly, licking a drop of blood from my lips.

I woke with a start, my body slick with a cold sweat, heart thundering in my chest. I tried to calm my galloping heart by distracting myself from the disturbing events of the dream. I focused on the bright beam of light that shone in from a crack in the curtains, watching dust motes floating in the air, dancing in concentric patterns. I could see each individual particle of dust in perfect focus, each infinitesimal grain in explicit detail. There had been a time when I found seeing everything in microscopic detail overwhelming. I was used to it now.

I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Leaning over the sink, I splashed cold water on my face, and tried to clear my head. I flinched as I caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Months later and I still hadn't gotten used to seeing myself like this. I was repulsed by the monster I saw before me, disgusted at what I had become.

I needed a drink. I padded back over to my bed and produced a bottle of whiskey from my bedside table. A glance at the bedside table revealed it was 12:25pm. Hell, it must be 5pm somewhere. I gulped the liquid straight from the bottle, cursing myself for turning into my vampire guise.

Over the months I had learned how to contain my blood lust, and become better at controlling the transformation. It now only happened in extreme circumstances, usually when I was uptight or hadn't fed for a while. My thoughts turned to the dream. Yeah, that could be described as an extreme circumstance. The dream seemed so real, I could still smell Leah's scent, feel her soft skin on my skin. My stomach churned as I thought of her cold, lifeless body, her screams as she realised the monster I'd become. I couldn't stop myself replaying the image. It burned in my mind, and became more intense until the room felt like it was closing in on me. Making me feel claustrophobic. Dizziness overwhelmed me.

I wondered what she would think if she could see me now. Would she be as disgusted as I was? Would she be as scared of me as she had been in the dream? I wondered what she was doing. Was she happy? Was she still hunting? Had she met someone else? The thought of another man touching her sent a wave of jealousy pulsing through my body. I tried to push thoughts of Leah from my mind, realising my dark disguise wouldn't abate until I had calmed.

It didn't work. My thoughts were always on Leah. I speared a hand through my hair, and shook my head in frustration. I had tried to get over her, I really had, but my thoughts always returned to her. I had visualised various scenarios where I would bump into her, or turn up at her door. But every scenario always ended with the same conclusion. I was a monster. How could she ever love me when I was like this? What kind of life could we ever have, when I was this beast? I had meant it when I had told her I wanted her to have a real life, with a husband and kids. She deserved that. However, the reality of letting her go was easier said than done. I knew I had to move on, but I wasn't ready, not yet.

I lifted the bottle and gulped, feeling the warmth of the liquid settled in my stomach. I had been haunted by thoughts of her for the last four months. Thoughts of her filled every waking moment, and whenever I slept, she filled my dreams.

I cast a glance around the motel room I now called home. This motel was just as dingy and depressing as the last one had been. A threadbare brown carpet lined the floor, and matching curtains hung limply over a dirty, grime-streaked window. A door at the far end of the room led to a small bathroom with broken tiles and a mold-covered ceiling. A plastic table and chair sat in the corner of the room, with an old black and white TV on top. From my position on the bed I could make out each scratch, each flaw on the creamy surface of the table. My gaze settled on a small rectangular fridge I had bought when I moved in. The loud buzz emanating from it had been like torture to me at first. My heightened sense of hearing made it sound like a bee was continually buzzing inside my brain. I would have gotten rid of it if I didn't need it to keep my new form of nourishment fresh.

That was another thing that I had struggled to control since I had been turned. The first two months I had been like a caged animal. I had hid in my room, away from any human contact. I cowered in a corner, hands clamped tightly over my ears, desperately trying to drown out sounds that had roared in my head. I could hear every word of a conversation from the people five rooms down, music blaring from cars driving on the interstate two miles away, and the sounds of birds chirping on the trees outside, reverberated like a jack hammer in my brain. Over the months I had learned to block out my heightened senses and control my blood lust for the most part. I even allowed myself to mix again with humans, even if it was in some small capacity, like going to the shop. But I never let them get close enough to test my restraint, and certainly never close enough for physical contact.  I sighed. I was in control for the most part, but there were still times, like just now, where my dark side took over. 

I walked over to the fridge, opened the door and pulled out a heavy glass container. I was revolted by what I was about to do, but it was a necessary evil. I lifted the glass container and unscrewed the lid. The smell hit me immediately, making my throat burn like wild fire, and my stomach to knot painfully. I gulped down the thick, metallic liquid, and wiped the ruby remnants from my lips with the back of my hand. Now that I had fed, my body instantly felt better; the burning in my throat had subsided, and the ache in my stomach was satiated. At least for the moment. The pain in my body had ceased now that my thirst was quenched, but the agony in my heart was another story. I threw the container into the bin, hearing the glass shatter on impact.

I went through the same self-deprecating routine every month for the last four months. I was disgusted at what I had become, a monster. A creature that a few months ago I wouldn't have thought twice about slaughtering. A small part of my brain kept telling me that there was one difference between me and those monsters - I had never killed. I took some small measure of comfort in that. I survived by drinking animal blood, which I bought from the butchers on a monthly basis. Four months later and I still wasn't sure why I hadn't completely turned into a vampire. I drank blood when I was transitioning, so I should, by all rights, be a vampire. The only thing I could think of was that during my transition it was animal blood I had drank and not human blood. Is that why I was now this hybrid creature? Half vampire, half human. Not belonging to either species. I felt detached from society, an outsider. Watching life through a window, but never being part of the action.

Not for the first time, I wondered if there were others like me out there.

Relief swept my body as I felt my extra set of teeth ascend and my face return to its human form. My stomach growled loudly. My vampire half was satiated by the blood, but my human half was not. I needed real food now. I cast my mind back to the last time I had eaten proper food. I couldn't remember. I looked around the motel room, searching for food and finding none. It looked like I would be leaving my motel room today. It had been two days since I had last ventured out and that was only two blocks to the butchers and back. It was quite sad how a visit to the local store was the highlight of my day. No friends, no family... no Leah. I slumped back down on the edge of the bed.

"Fuck’s sake!" I cursed at how pathetic I'd become. I smacked my fist down on the bedside table in frustration, feeling the wood crack under my touch before the entire unit crashed to the floor in a heap.  That was one thing I hadn't quite gotten used to - how to rein in my new vampire strength. I was forever breaking things accidentally, meaning to pick up an object and crushing it by mistake. Another reason why I couldn't be with Leah. I could never take that risk with her.

I made my way to the bathroom where I showered and shaved, brushed my teeth and changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt. If I had to leave my room, I wanted to try to blend into the background, and looking like a homeless bum would probably draw unwanted attention to myself. I pulled on my boots, grabbed my wallet and headed for the door.

Stepping outside, I was assaulted by a multitude of odours: the tang of hot concrete, the freshness of newly cut grass, the pungent stench of sweat and rotting trash. I focused on blocking out the smells, which threatened to overwhelm me. The sky was a cloudless blue, the bright sunlight penetrating my skin. It felt like a million tiny needles. Sunbeams bounced off the metallic paint of parked cars, sending an arc of refracting colours. Anyone else would have found it beautiful, but it just served to remind me of what a freak I'd become. I shook my head. I vowed to stop this pity party, which I had permanently been a member of since I had turned, not liking the pussy I had become. I needed to man up, stop wallowing in regret and shame. What was done was done. I couldn't change it, so I might as well make the best of it. Looking around, I noticed that the town was busy with people enjoying the summer weather. I worked to keep my distance from them as they passed me on the street.

I had moved to the small town of Dryden, four months ago. I chose the town because of the close proximity to Ithaca. I felt I had to be somewhere near Leah, not being able to fully break the tie between us. It suited me. It was somewhere quiet where people would leave me alone to live my life in peace. If you could call what I had a life, that is.

I walked up to the door of the Wolf's Den, a local bar and restaurant in the area. Wolf's Den.  I thought the name was fitting of my new haunt. We were both predators after all. I pushed open the door, and headed to a booth at the far end of the room. My gaze scanned the bar. It was quiet, everyone opting to enjoy lunch outside on such a nice day. The room was decorated in dark mahogany wood, with stuffed deer heads mounted on the wall around the room. Their dead eyes seemed to follow me.  A long L shaped counter ran along the length of one wall. A variety of types of alcohol were displayed in glass bottles behind the counter. Blue LED lights fixed under the counter sent eerie shadows clawing their way across the wooden floor.

As I slid into the booth my gaze was drawn to a bulletin board behind the bar. Displayed prominently in the centre of the board was a large poster. The words 'REWARD FOR INFORMATION' were printed along the top. In smaller lettering the poster went on to describe the abduction and bizarre rescue of a bus of school children. When the story broke four months ago, it was picked up by news stations world wide. People were fascinated by the peculiar statements from the children, all in agreement in their account of their abduction. Grotesque stories of fanged demons had captured the attention of the world, and lack of any credible leads served to inflame the public's curiosity even further. What people found most fascinating was the baffling rescue of the children. The bus full of children had been found parked outside a local police station, however the mysterious driver had been no where to be found. The children had told stories of superheroes coming to their rescue but could not elaborate any further. Four months later and still no one had been brought to justice for the abductions, and no one had come forward to claim responsibility for the rescue. The public were still clamouring for answers.

I sighed and picked up the menu. I was relieved that the children had been saved but the constant media attention was a constant reminder of that day. A reminder I would rather forget.

I froze as I heard a loud smash coming from the kitchen, followed by a tirade of cursing. My hand gripped the table tightly as the scent of fresh blood wafted through the air. My head swam as the scent swirled around me. The alluring perfume of sweet, fragrant blood assaulted my senses. Nerves stretched tight, I fought the impulse to transform into my vampire guise. I was hyper vigilant, scanning the room for anyone that might see me if I transformed. I closed my eyes and took a few steadying breaths. Relief flooded my body as my muscles relaxed, and the burning in my throat subsided. I could still smell the scent of blood in the air, but I felt in control of myself.