Only Human (22 page)

‘
Uncle! You’re not giving me time to speak! There’s a Sanguis in the mountain! God knows where it is now, but it was running towards the area that caved in at the entrance. I don’t know how the Watchers didn’t see it, and sound an alarm or something. Do they have alarms? Did I even tell you what the Sanguis looks like, and how it killed Garok? It’s a red snake like thing, but with legs and red eyes and…..’

‘
Aecia Sshh, I didn’t want you to see all of this until you were stronger and completely recovered.’

‘
See what? What do you mean? Why are you barring me from that room? Is Sebastian ok? He’s not worse is he?’

‘
Questions, always questions from you child. Slow down.’

‘
I am slowed down, I’m standing still Uncle, and I’d stop asking questions if you would give me some answers.’

‘
You can come into the room if you will promise not to be afraid of anything in there. You must trust me when I say that all is well, and then I will explain.’

Enough said! Let me get in there as quick as my unsteady legs will take me! You must come in with me though Amica. Sebastian is directly in front of me, still lying down, but with his head propped up a little with pillows. He is so terribly thin and has the pallor of a dead man. The shock of seeing him this way is enough to distract me from whatever else is in the room that my
Uncle is has been so anxious about me seeing. I want to hug Sebastian but I’m scared he might break! From the corner of my eye, I can see there are three other people in the room. Lupe, of course, is one of them but the others are…..

‘
OH MY GOD UNCLE! The Sanguis is in the room! Get it out! Why aren’t you moving? Are you blind? It’s there in the corner with….GAROK!! But I thought you were dead! What’s going on! Am I still asleep and dreaming? Somebody get the Sanguis before it sucks the life out of us!’

The whole world has gone mental again friend.
No one is moving, not even the timid Linda, and the red monster is standing in the corner of the room with its back to us. If I’m not mistaken, the thing sounds like its crying! I am frozen in a capsule of disbelief as I am watching Garok go over to it and put his arm around its shoulders. For once, my body is in full agreement with my mind as it is telling me to faint!

I
’m afraid to open my eyes friend, in case reality delivers another cartload of hallucinations to them. You check first and when you tell me there are just Uncle, Sebastian, Orianna, Lupe and Linda in the room, I will consider resurfacing. One eye is slightly open and... Nope! The Sanguis and Garok are still there. Clearly I am on drugs and not one of those bog eyed little imps had the decency to tell me! I have no memory of taking them either so I’m also in denial!

‘
Aecia! Wake up! It is okay, I am alive; it is me, Garok. This isn’t the Sanguis that bit me. She is frightened Aecia, you are frightening her.’

‘
Her is frightened of me! I can’t even speak correctly I’m so upset!’

‘
Well at least that got your eyes open. Stop being a baby and get up.’

‘
Garok, you have just risen from the dead and you are already annoying the hell out of me!’

‘
Great! Everything is back to normal then!’

He is sooo infuriating but he really is alive! He survived Amica, can you believe it! I
’ll tell you this much though, if he is dating that fiend in the corner, he won’t be surviving for much longer!

‘
Ok, I am listening. Tell me what happened in the tunnel with that other monstrosity. How did you escape from it and how did you escape becoming one of them. I was scared for you Garok; in fact, the thought of you dying was easier to deal with than the thought of you as some kind of evil, deformed beast.’

‘
Aecia don’t be so harsh! This here is the lady that saved my life!’ Clearly friend, Garok is on drugs as well! ‘How do you know it is female, much less, a lady? It’s a Sanguis Garok!’

‘
Do you even know what ‘Sanguis’ means? It is Latin for blood and do you know why they were called that name? Because they were the first bloods that the Vampires ever Cloned for food, that’s why. This woman here Aecia, is one of the first human Clones.’

I am absolutely speechless! If he is telling the truth and there is no reason to think that he isn
’t, then I am a bitch. I know it’s ridiculous but I feel like a mother figure towards the Clones and I only want to free and protect them. I don’t understand, this thing, person, has fangs, and skin the colour of hell’s carpet.

‘
Uncle, why are you so quiet? Is she human?’

‘
Garok seemed to have everything in hand so I was sparing myself from your multitude of questions Aecia. Yes, she is a human Clone but has some Vampire within her D.N.A. After The Great War, pure humankind was very thin on the ground. The Vampires failed to realise this when they began cloning some Humans who had been tainted by the virus, but had not yet had time to manifest their metamorphosis. The results were people like Eve, her mate, who we have yet to name and the multitude of pygmies that inhabit this mountain.’

‘
The Watchers are human, of course they are, just miniature Humans. Now that you say it, I don’t know why I haven’t realised it for myself. They are kind and have some kind of bond with us. That is why they saved us Uncle.’

‘
Yes, but Aecia, the ones that live here were expecting us to arrive in the trucks from the farm as we had agreed. They have always been part of the Rebellion.’

‘
You pretended you didn’t know they existed or what they were!’

‘
You didn’t need to know at that time.’

‘
You Uncle, are a politician of the highest calibre!’

‘
This is not the time for insults child! Now I must leave Garok to explain the rest as I have to join the scouts who think there is something afoot around the perimeter of the mountain.’ I hadn’t even noticed that the room is now filled with Watchers!

‘
Rauul, I will talk to her later, I am coming with you.’

‘
Her? My name is Aecia and if you two are going anywhere, don’t for one second think you are leaving me behind!’

‘
You just fainted and you can barely walk Aecia!’

‘
You are a sexist pig Garok, and I swear I could run to the peak of this mountain and back down again before you left the room!’

‘
Is there any point in arguing?’

‘
No! Sebastian can I borrow your pants seeing as you’re not using them? My legs are still a bit sticky so I’ll make you a new pair I promise.’ He’s smiling and he looks a bit brighter. Adrenalin from all this activity might help him get better.

‘
Orianna, you’re not mated yet so behave yourself while you are in here.’

‘
What are you talking about?’

‘
I’ll tell you later Uncle. What did the scouts see and where?’ There is a buzzing in my head that is strangely familiar. It has nothing to do with the fainting episode, I am sure of it. Could it possibly be my friend
disembodied voice
? I haven’t heard from him in ages. The last time was in the tunnels, when Garok was being attacked by the Sanguis. Uncle is looking at me because I have stopped short, and didn’t hear his answer.

‘
Aecia, I don’t think you should come outside. You are not ready; after all you have only just got out of bed.’

‘
I am fine! Which way are we going?’

‘
Right Mr
Disembodied voice
! Whatever it is you are going to say, had better be pertinent to this present situation I am in with Uncle and Garok. They already think I am wobbling, and would love any excuse to send me back to that undersized bed.  I am right aren’t I? It is you?’

‘
Yes.’

‘
Oh it’s worth the inevitable post, mind merging conversation headache, just to hear your voice.’

‘
I am hurt and I am being followed.’

‘
WHAT! Where are you?’

‘
I am in the woods at the foot of Mount Ignifer.’

‘
Right, I’m speaking out loud and telling Uncle we have to go get down to ground level. I think the Watchers have heard you; they have alerted us to some activity. How did you know we were in this mountain? Never mind, I’ll find out when we get you.’

‘
It is dangerous. I am not alone, there are eyes watching my every move.’

‘
It’s ok, they are just the Watchers, and they are good.’

‘
No! Definitely not good! It is coming…..long, black and red skinned! What is it? It is biting AAhhh.’

‘
UNCLE! We have to get to the woods, my friend is there. I can’t explain how I know I just do!’

‘
Garok, sound the alarm, I am climbing down with Aecia.’

Uncle
believes me Amica, without a second thought. He is amazing, but how the hell do we get down the side of the mountain fast enough to save disembodied voice? The buzzing has stopped and I am no longer in contact with him. Dear God, let us be in time to save him.

‘
Get on my back child, quickly now!’ I am on his back and my stomach now lives in my mouth. We have just flown through the entrance of the cave and are careering down the side of the mountain! All I see is the blur of orange and red stone as we approach the grey, hard dirt of the ground at the bottom. My Uncle can fly! And I’m going to throw up!

‘
I’m sorry, I should have warned you that I could move that fast. Are you ok? Where is your friend?’

‘
Eh, have you a tissue Uncle?’

‘
No and there’s no time Aecia, I will look for the person myself.’

‘
No wait, I will contact him if I can.’ I’ve never done it this way round Amica, and I’m not really sure how to. He can read my thoughts; he must feel my anxiety for him. I will try to think of his voice; the feeling I have when he contacts me and I will concentrate solely on him. It’s hard and it hurts, but I can feel the connection somehow. I am in his head. ‘Where are you? We are at the point directly below the entrance of the mountain. Are you left or right?’ Nothing, there’s no reply and I can feel pain, burning pain in my leg, or is it his leg?

‘
Straight on by the stream.’ That was faint but I heard him; he is in a bad way I think, judging by his voice.

‘
Uncle, can we fly above the trees near the stream; he is there and there is another Sanguis there, judging by his description. He said he was being followed and there were many more eyes watching him. I thought that would be just our friends, the Watchers, but he said it wasn’t.’

‘
What was that?’ There has just been an unearthly scream that couldn’t possibly be human. It was chilling friend. ‘Come.’

Uncle
has picked me up and we are off again. It is lucky that he must have had a dose of his ‘shadow’ tablet because it is daylight, although I’m not sure what time. It is difficult to see through the dense foliage of the trees but I can just see the stream below. Oooh, we are swooping down, so Uncle has seen more than I have.

We have landed in the stream and
Uncle looks different, puffed up and frightening. What is he doing?

‘
LICENTIA IS LOCUS VEL EGO MOS EXURO MALUM EX VOS’

What is happening? The forest just became a frantic flurry of movement. It sounds like every living thing from the largest animal to the tiniest insect just started running for its life. I am afraid of someone I never dreamed I would ev
er be afraid of. The power Uncle is exuding from every pore of his body and soul is suffocating me. Who is this man?

‘
Aecia! Over here, but it is in the tree with the others, and she is here!’

I heard that, not in my mind, in my ears
, and it is disembodied voice, he is near. I am running in the direction of his voice, as much to save myself from Uncle, as to save disembodied voice from whatever is attacking him.

‘
I see you, I’m coming!’

He is at the edge of the stream sprawled on his stomach, but the cape strewn over him is not enough to hide the sceptic, raw burns and bite marks all over his body. Dear God, I am in his mind and I can feel his pain. What vile creatures could have done this to him? I can feel his awareness of my presence and I know that, for some reason, he and I are linked in a way that allows us to slip easily into each other
’s consciousness; at least, it is possible when we are this close and one of us is strong enough to make a connection. His pain is growing less intense, and it is because he is giving up and letting go. ‘NO! I won’t let you! Come on!’

I can feel a million eyes watching me as I am struggling to turn him over and help him get up. He is heavy
, and difficult for me to move, but, even in this moment of crisis, I retain a little excitement as I realise I am about to discover who my disembodied voice actually is! There is a draught telling me that Uncle has flown beside me, and without a word, is lifting my friend onto his shoulders, before I can even look at his face. I feel nervous speaking to my own kin, someone I have trusted without reserve since I was a baby. ‘Uncle, they are not all gone. I feel them watching us, whoever they are.’