Shattered (8 page)

~Confrontations~

“Laura? Laura, wake up.”

Laura opened her eyes. Logan was standing over her. She was lying down, on a hard surface. Somewhere damp. She blinked. She was inside, and the interior reminded her of a wooden cabin. She pushed herself up, and looked around. She was in a smal room, a single window letting in the outside light. The wal s and ceiling were both made of wooden planks, but they were heavy with age. The room was completely barren. Mildew grew thick on the wal s, and the floor she was lying on was dirty. Heavy dust fil ed the air, causing her to cough.

“Where are we?” she managed eventual y.

“An old grain mil ,” Logan said. Laura noticed a closed door in one of the wal s. “Nobody comes here anymore, and I thought it’d be a good place to regroup.”

Laura stood up, eyeing Logan warily. “How come you didn’t tel me we were coming here?”

“You passed out before I had the chance. I carried you here from the car.”

“You carried me? How far away are we?”

“An hour from the road. Nobody should bother us here for some time. We should have tonight, at least, before we need to move on.”

Suddenly Laura’s ears caught the heavy clunking of machinery coming from the adjacent room. She went to the door and cautiously edged it open. And felt as if she’d stepped into the past. In a vast, largely empty room, huge spinning pul eys and belts worked overhead while metal poles positioned horizontal y rotated quickly. Gears and levers dotted the floor of the room, providing control over the machinery. Much of the metal was red with rust, but it stil moved, clanging and groaning along.

“It’s stil running,” she marveled.

“It never stopped,” Logan shrugged. “The river runs year-round, and as long as it spins the waterwheel, the mechanisms in here keep going.”

“The river?”

“Yes. You can hear it from here, can’t you?”

Laura strained her ears. And realized she could make out the sound of rushing water nearby. Logan walked to another door, right by a window, and motioned her over. When she came, he pushed it open, revealing the outdoors.

Beautiful vegetation surrounded them. They stood at the bottom of a narrow gorge, with a rocky slope to one side and thick forested trees on the other. Under her feet, right beneath the building, a river roared with life. The sun shone through the leaves of the forest, making shadows on the ground. It felt like they were hundreds of miles from civilization.

“So,” Logan said once Laura turned back inside.

“So,” Laura echoed.

“We need to get rid of your belongings.”

“Why?”

“The men tracking us. They’re like me, and once they have your scent, they can track you forever. Getting rid of your belongings might make it harder for them to do it.”

“Is that how they knew we left the school?”

“Yes, I think. The man you saw – he knew your scent from the dream. Thankful y, amidst al the other students, you were harder to pick out. Otherwise he would have come for you right in the classroom.”

Laura shivered. She didn’t want to imagine what would have happened then.

“We have to change you out of your clothes as soon as possible. It might help us get a lead on them. But you have to understand Laura, they’re like hounds. No matter where we go, they’l only be a single step behind. If we ever stop, if we ever rest for more than is absolutely necessary, they’l get to us.”

“Let’s go to the police,” she said suddenly. “They can help us.”

Logan laughed bitterly. “The police? They can’t do anything.”

“Why?”

“The men after us are my kind, Laura. There’s nothing that wil stop them. If we go to the police, they’l just tear right through them before getting to us. The best thing we can do is run, and never look back.”

“And then what?” Laura demanded. “Do you expect to just run forever?”

“You haven’t seen what they can do,” he said quietly. “You have no idea what they’re capable of. If we run, we have a chance to get away. If we’re smart, we might be able to lose them before they can reach us. But it won’t be easy.”

“You can fight them!” she blurted out. “I saw you fight four guys at once like it was nothing!”

He laughed again, cruel y this time. “Laura, you have no idea what they’re capable of. I fought when there was little at stake, against four
children
. The two men behind us – they’re bounty hunters. They’re my kind. And when they fight, they fight to kil .”

Laura had to get her head straight. She had to think. That momentary lapse in thinking when she said Logan could fight… that wouldn’t do. They were both in danger, and the least she could do was understand what she was facing.

“You mentioned weaknesses earlier. Of your race. Maybe we can use that to our advantage. What are you bad at, compared to humans?”

Logan sighed. “Not much that is helpful in this case. Our vision in the sun is the main thing. Things become hazy in direct sunlight. Glare, when the light reflects off glass, nearly blinds us on any day. And these woods might give us a slight advantage, as wel . The air is dense here, and your scent is harder to pick out. It might make it—” Logan cut off with a strangling sound, and in an instant was at the door.

“They’re coming,” he hissed back to her.

“What? Already? You said we have until nightfal !”

“I was wrong.” He shut the door quickly and rushed to the opposing wal . “You need to hide.” He pul ed back a board to reveal a smal cubby in the wal .

“Quickly!”

Laura ran over. “Get in,” he told her, “and don’t make a sound.” Laura nodded. Her pulse was racing, and she felt that kick of adrenaline again. A mixture of fear and dread came over her as she pushed herself into the wal . There wasn’t much space, and splinters and rough pieces of wood pierced her skin and got caught onto her clothing. She wedged herself further in, and Logan replaced the board.

Light scattered in from cracks along the wal , and Laura pressed an eye to one of them to peer out. She could see the entire space between her and the entrance door. Logan stood with his back to her, facing the door. In a predatory stance. Anxious minutes passed. Only Laura’s ragged breaths broke the silence, and they sounded loud as hammers to her ears.

Slowly, the door started to move. Logan tensed. The door creaked open al the way, and a tal figure stepped into the entrance. Laura’s breath caught. It was the same man from the dream, the same one she saw at the school.

“Where’s your friend?” the man asked Logan crudely. He spoke with a harsh accent.

If it were possible, Logan tensed even more. The man took a step forward. He had the same long coat on from before, the same dark hat. He and Logan were approximately the same height. Leisurely, he started to take off his coat. Logan stil hadn’t moved. The man dropped his coat in a pile at the side, and Laura saw that he was much thicker than Logan. Bigger, more developed.
Stronger
.

“Don’t try to hide her. I can smel her stench from here. I know she’s been here.”

“You wil not have her.” Logan’s voice had a steely edge to it. The man laughed derisively in reply.

“Oh? Is that so? Or what, you’re going to stop me?” He laughed again. “You are but a youngling, only a child, and you have broken the ancient creed by bringing her into our world. You wil answer for your crime harshly, as wil she.”

“You wil not have her,” Logan repeated.

The man waved dismissively, and took a step towards Logan. “You cannot stop me,” he said. “And I don’t intend to take just her. You’l be coming along, as wel .”

“No,” Logan growled.

“Oh, yes, I wil take you both.” The man was only a pace away from Logan, now. “You cannot imagine what they wil do to you. You wil be bound in chains, locked away forever to never again see the dark of night, feel the cool rays of the moon. You wil grow weak and feeble, forever barred from taking blood. You wil not be fed, and you wil never feed again.

“Your body wil be the first to go. Your muscles wil wither away to nothingness, and your bones wil crumble. You wil become a mere shadow of what you once were. A shadow of what you could have become.

“But they wil keep your mind sharp. Make no mistake, you
will
know you are suffering. An antidote wil be administered, and it wil stave off the madness that accompanies your feeding deprivation. You wil languish forever in misery, forever conscious of your mistake. That wil be your sentence. Until the end of time.” The man took one last step, until he was noseto-nose with Logan. And he spoke just loudly enough for Laura to hear.

“But that pales in comparison to what they wil do to her.” Logan snarled. “Yes, her. Your precious
human
.” He spat the word. Then he raised his voice. “I know you are here, my darling. Listen wel to what I have to say.” Then he spoke to Logan again.

“She wil suffer for your sin. A human mind and body is much weaker than that of our kind, that of the
Vassiz
, and for that reason… she wil be converted. And sentenced to suffer eternal y alongside you.

“You know of the savage bloodlust that overtakes a new member of the
Vassiz
, do you not? Oh, but I think you do. You were once one of them, were you not? You were born a
human
.” Again, he spat the word. “A despicable thing. A despicable creature to risk to much for, wouldn’t you say?”

Logan didn’t say a word, and the man continued. “I wil give you once chance. One chance now, to repent. Give her up freely, and your punishment for your treason wil be less severe. You wil be only bound for one century, and then be returned your freedom.” He put a hand on Logan’s shoulder. “You know you cannot win. Is eternity in hel worth it, for her?”

Suddenly Laura caught movement at the door. The other hunter. “No!” she screamed. It was a trap. Everything happened at once.

On Laura’s cry, both newcomers looked in her direction. Logan curled back from the man’s hand and smashed an elbow into his face. The thick man –

no, the thick
vampire
– stumbled back. Then he laughed cruel y, and flung himself at Logan. They both went down hard.

The other vampire, the first one’s accomplice, walked towards her from the door. He ignored Logan and his friend completely. He looked right at her, and walked closer ever so slowly, taking his sweet time. She was trapped, and she knew it. She had to get out. She edged towards the exit, and she could see through the cracks the vampire watching her had stopped. He had a crude smile on his face, and his eyes fol owed her movement. He just stood there, waiting. He knew where she was, and where she would go.

She heard a shout. Logan’s shout. It was a cry of pain. She couldn’t see him; couldn’t see what happened. She flung herself at the board and crashed through to the other side. And she saw Logan lying lifelessly on the floor.

“No!” she screamed, and scrambled to get to him, to help him up, to do anything. But the vampire who had been watching her moved impossibly quick. He grabbed her roughly by the arm, and pul ed her close.

“No, girlie,” he breathed on her face, “you’re not going anywhere but with us.”

“Let
go
of me!” Laura cried, and struggled against his grip. But his fingers around her arm didn’t budge.

“Logan! Logan!” She saw him on the floor, struggling to get up. And as soon as he was on his knees, he col apsed back down as a boot came down hard on his spine.

“Stop!” she shrieked. Desperately, she tried to get away, struggling against the grip on her arm. She squirmed and screamed, but the vampire’s hand was an iron chain. Suddenly, she found herself being lifted, and the vampire was carrying her, over his back, out into the forest.

“Logan!” she screamed. Tears streamed down her face. She frantical y wanted to help, to run back in and help him to his feet. But she couldn’t do anything. She was absolutely helpless. She hit the vampire’s back as hard as she could with her fists, but it was like hitting a rock. It didn’t even faze him. Abruptly, she was flying through the air. She hit the ground with a grunt and looked around wildly. . She had been thrown off! The vampire who carried her was standing over her, smiling sweetly.

“Don’t fal behind,” he told her. “I don’t intend to carry you the entire way, but if you run, I wil catch you. And this time, I
will
hurt you. So don’t tempt me.” And as if that were al the instructions she needed, he turned away, and started making his way deeper into the woods.

Laura looked back at the mil . She contemplated running back, trying to help Logan. The vampire continued walking away, further from her. She could make a run for it… but then she remembered how fast he had been after she crashed out of the cubby. She remembered how strong his grip was. He would be on her in seconds. And this time, he would not be so gentle.

A strangled cry came from her throat, and she tore her eyes away from the mil . And fol owed her captor.

~An Unknown Strength~

Laura fol owed the man in front of her for what seemed like hours. The
vampire
in front of her. She stil wasn’t used to thinking about him like that. She looked up to the sky, and surprised herself when she realized the sun was in almost the same position as it was when she was dumped on the ground and told to fol ow. She thought they had been walking for hours, but it must only barely been one, if that.

She rubbed her arm where the vampire had grabbed her. A bruise was already developing, and the spot was tender to the touch. Her feet hurt from traversing the uneven forest ground. She had been forced to climb over logs, over fal en trees, push through thick bushes – al while fol owing the vampire. He had no trouble with any of it, obviously, and slowed his pace so she could keep up.

“Where are you taking me?” she tried for what must have been the thousandth time. But, as usual, there was no reply. It was an uneasy feeling, being so helpless and so trapped. She was a prisoner with no chains.

Suddenly a blur of motion caught her eye. And the next thing she knew, the vampire in front of her was down on the ground. Somebody was standing over him, looking away.
Logan?

She rushed over. It
was
him! With a cry of joy, she jumped up to embrace him. But he didn’t reciprocate. He just stood there, arms at his sides. He was breathing heavily.

“Logan?” She looked at his face. He was unnatural y calm. “Logan, what happened? How did you get here?”

“I took his blood,” he said simply.

“Took who’s blood?” Laura was too overjoyed to think straight. “What are you talking about?”

“The vampire I fought in the mil . He looked away, and I jumped him. And I sunk my teeth deep into his flesh. He cried out, Laura. A cry I would have never thought a
Vassiz
could make. It was a sound of pure agony, of anguish and torture. It was my only chance, and I… I took it.

“It is prohibited, Laura. Cannibalism. It goes against al the rules of our race. It goes against our very being. None have done it for thousands of years. Maybe never. But I did… and it gave me strength, Laura. Strength like I have never imagined. My senses increased tenfold, my agility even more. A rage overtook me, and I felt an animal, more so than ever before. Taking a vampire’s blood…” he shuddered, “…it is nothing like taking human blood. Human blood is but a pale impression of it.”

Laura gaped. She had not known it was even
possible
for a vampire to feed on another’s blood. “Is it… safe?” she asked. “Safe for you?”

“I don’t know. I have heard legends, but those are rooting in myth as much as truth. I have never heard of anyone doing it once our race became organized. I don’t think any of my kind have even
thought
of doing it. It is a heinous crime.”

Laura abruptly realized that Logan had not moved once since she hugged him. Instead, he was staring at the body at his feet. Laura looked up at his eyes, and saw they were ablaze with intensity. An intensity that he struggled to contain.

She moved back, and it seemed to break him out

of his trance. For the first time, he met her gaze, and a smal smile spread across his face. “A heinous crime, but it keeps you safe. That’s al that matters.”

“Did you… kil him?” she asked, looking at her captor.

“No. The
Vassiz
are surprisingly hard to kil . Back there, in the mil , might be the first casualty of our race in generations. I
could
kil this one, though, if I fed. But if I did that, I don’t know if I could contain myself with you.”

Laura gulped nervously. And Logan laughed.

“Don’t worry,” he said, brushing away a strand of hair that had fal en in her face. “I wouldn’t do anything to risk you.”

She gulped nervously again. But this time, it was a different type of nervousness. She felt a little lightheaded, and cleared her throat. “What was that word you used? I heard them use it, too. The
Vassiz
?”

“It is what we cal our kind. To humans, we might be known as vampires. But to us, we are al a part of the ancient
Vassiz
race.”

The
Vassiz
. Somehow, it was easier to think of Logan as a
Vassiz
than as a vampire. “So what happens now?”

“We run. We get as far away as we can. We can’t make contact with anybody. Hopeful y, we can escape the others.”

“Others?”

“More are coming. I think the first two were only scouts. Once they realize what I’ve done, they’l put the entire militia after us.”

“The
militia
? How many are there?”

“
Vassiz
live in separate packs al over the world. We don’t communicate with one another much, outside the pack. But… I know there are five packs near us, on the west coast. Some are hidden, out in the wilderness, and others live right with humans in the city. I fear we’l soon have al five packs after us.”

“How many… members… is that?”

“Maybe twenty-five, thirty vampires total. Once the elders hear of the scouts’ failure, they’l recruit them al .”

Thirty vampires. Al coming after her. For the first time, Laura felt truly terrified. She had seen what only two can do. “But you said vampires don’t communicate outside their pack. How are they going to be recruited?”

“We communicate through the dream realm,” he said, “in times of great need.”

“You said they can track us by my scent. How are we ever going to get away?”

“Our only chance is to run as far as we can, as fast as we can. That’s our only escape. We can’t face them.” Then he looked down at the body and nudged it with his foot. “Anyway, this guy is going to be out for a while, so we’l be able to get a bit of a lead. But we can’t take my car.”

“Why not?”

“It has your scent. We have to go by foot.” He paused, thinking. “Do you have your cel phone stil ?”

“Yes, it’s right here in my pocket,” Laura replied, pul ing it out.

“Give it to me. I don’t know how wel these packs are integrated within human society, but I don’t doubt that one of them wil have the connections to track our location by that.”

Laura dropped the phone in his hand. Giving it away, she felt it symbolic of starting her new life. Logan reached back, as if he were about to throw the phone far into the distance, but then he stopped himself.

“Actual y, I have a better idea,” he told her. He put the phone into his own pocket, and knelt down to hoist the unconscious vampire on his back. “Wait here. I’l be back.” And before Laura could blink, he was gone, an indistinctive blur racing away through the woods.

-Laura was sitting on a stump when Logan final y emerged from the woods. He carried a smal bundle in his hands, and held it careful y.

“Where did you go?” she asked him when he came

close enough.

“Back to the mil . I remembered something hidden there, long ago.” He nodded to the bundle. “I also brought our friend there and tied him up. He’l be able to get out, eventual y, but it gives us even more of a head start.”

“That’s good,” she said. “What’s in the parcel?”

“It’s for you,” he answered, and lowered it into her arms. She took hold. It wasn’t heavy, and felt soft in her hands. Like fabric, or cloth.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Open it and you’l see.”

Slowly, she unwrapped the string that held it together. And pul ed aside the brown paper flaps. Inside, she found a careful y folded piece of dark fabric. She held it up, and let it fal to reveal its shape. It was a beautiful black dress, delicately decorated with silk lace at the neck-and hem-line. The bodice had an elaborate pattern of flowers and shapes sewn into it that curved around the back.

“It’s beautiful,” Laura breathed. “But why did you give it to me?”

“It’s your size, I think. You should put it on. It’l help us significantly with the tracking if we leave your old clothes behind. It might be uncomfortable to run in, sure, but…” he shrugged uncertainly, “…but I think it’l help us get away.”

“You real y want me to wear this?” Laura had never seen a dress that looked as exquisite as this one, much less
worn
one.

Logan nodded.

“Ok,” she said. “But only because it’l help us get away.”

“Of course,” Logan smiled.