Created (Book 1 of the Created) (30 page)

"
Sunnie
, you know I am not a
monster. I am just a kid like you. However, unlike you, I was given a second
chance at life as part of a group of soldiers that are unique in this world.
You know me." I paused, looking deeply into her eyes. "You now know
how I really feel about you. I spoke the truth when I said I loved you. You
must know that? Since we have met I cannot get you out of my thoughts.
I long to see and touch you."

Her face was flush.
"Love?
You
are capable of love? All the details about your family were just lies weren't
they. All the details about your life, were those lies? Answer me! Tell me what
the hell I am supposed to believe?"

Remaining calm I said, "Listen, I didn't ask to be this
way, but I am. I didn't ask to fall in love with you, but I did. No matter what
you think I am - a monster, a killer - neither of those will change."

Undeterred by my response,
Sunnie
angrily questioned me, "What was he Ethan? What are you for that
matter?"

"The Hunter was a genetically engineered being that was
a subspecies of the GV6 family. His original generation six group resembles
humans except for a few discrepancies that make them unable to be used for
field work. The Hunter was created to be used against an enemy in an extreme
case or when facing an isolated target. They are as much a fear weapon as
anything else. They are efficient killing machines. At one time, he was a
regular GV6 before Chadron intervened with the modifications that mutated him.
It is hard to imagine that at one time he was even a living breathing
human."

Sunnie
was rocking back and forth.
"What does GV6 mean? Are you one of those things or something
different?"

"Generation V6. I am a generation sixteen which is the
newest and only generation to be placed in the field. We are as much human as
we are anything else, just with slight differences."

"Wait, you purposely left out part of the definition of
the acronym. What does the V stand for?" She fired at me.

"I think you know what it means. I don't have to say
it. You have seen it with your own eyes." I replied.

She gasped then shouted. "Get out!"

"
Sunnie
, you know that you do
not mean that."

The family was beginning to move and groan. Moments were all
that were left before I had to flee.
Sunnie
sat at
the opposite end of the couch with her legs still curled to her chest. Her face
was turned to the side as she rested her head along her knees. It was time to
take a chance.

I burst forward from the couch in her direction lifting her
to me. She was too stunned to struggle. The time for explanation had passed. If
the risk I was going to take failed, at least it would be a pleasant memory of
goodbye. Extended and suspended before me I brought her to me without giving
her an opportunity to offer a protest. She was afraid. There was a distinct
look of terror upon her face. I envisioned there had to certainly be thoughts
of horror racing through her mind. Attempting to kiss her, she turned her face.
I didn't want to hurt her, but I would have this kiss. Forcing her face to
mine, I brought my lips to her closed,
unwanting
lips. She began to struggle though I held her tightly enough that she couldn't
hurt herself.

I pressed my lips harder to hers then proceeded to kiss her.
Suddenly
Sunnie
relaxed and returned my kiss. I
softened my hold on her then eventually sat her feet delicately on the floor to
gauge her reaction. We stood looking at each other then she wrapped her arms
around me which was what I had wanted, but it caught me off guard.

Sunnie
gave me a deep, warm hug
then looked up into my eyes and gave me a quick peck on the lips. She stared
into my eyes until another series of groans and moans came from Mandy. We both
knew I needed to leave.

She took my hands in hers and pulled me closer to offer
another kiss. She spoke as she shook her head. "I ... I am in love with a
vampire."

Two days on lockdown with no contact with anybody had been
rather pleasant, but I dreaded like hell Monday morning. So far I had not had
to deal with anything. The other night was my memory alone. Mentally, I was
avoiding the ramifications of my actions in regard to the nuances of the Farm
and the GV groups or any of the other creatures. I blocked out thoughts that I
was a marked man. There were plenty of attitudes and egos amongst the humans
and the nonhumans that were an issue, even before I broke the protocols that
had been put into place to protect the government and individual interests.

I waved at Chuck as I passed by the bedroom window, but he
paid me no mind. Chunk was alone. Several of the zombie soldiers that I had
witnessed at the training facility were also stationed around my home.
Occasionally, I would hear Chuck snarl at another zombie as the two passed one
another in the narrow confines of the space between the houses. Plopping down
on the bed, I closed my eyes.

Outside the sounds of daily life on the base continued
without me. Every so often I would recognize a voice or a particular laugh. I
had decided to enter my sleep state and end the day when the sound of the front
door opening alerted me to the fact that I was no longer alone. I lay still in
my bed trying to determine the identity of my visitor. Except for the opening
of the door there had been no sound or body odor coming from the living room.
Other markers were missing. There was no scent of human, vampire or any other
creature's blood. No throbbing of a heartbeat. The turn of events was making me
anxious.

I sat up from my outstretched position on the bed. With the
other signatures unusable, my newest ability to see trace outlines through
walls was vacant. Maybe I had heard wrong.
A figment of
paranoia perhaps or loneliness.
The past two days had been anything but
great, though I had believed there was certain pleasantness. I told myself that
I might have been wrong. There was a possibility that I was going mad again
from hunger though there was nothing inside of me that had the need.

Listening and focusing got me nothing. The noise was
outside. It had to be. I fell back on the bed and rubbed my eyes. Looking
outward to my favorite zombie guard Chuck, I realized he was gone. Sliding the
glass door open, I gingerly poked my head out into the fading sunshine. All the
guards were gone. Stepping back into the house I thought about what that had to
mean. Nothing on the Farm was as simple as Chadron letting me go unpunished and
the in house isolation seemed incomplete.

The answer was located in the living room because it simply
had to be. If I was wrong, there was nothing to lose.
  

Creeping into the living room, I was a little scared. In all
of the horror I had been witness to thus far in my life as a
vampire,
I knew that the next threat could be around the corner. The room looked the
same as it always did. Nothing was unusual. Glancing around, I convinced myself
that maybe I had heard the zombies being taken away. I threw myself into the
couch knowing that even vampires could make an error. From the couch, I watched
the sun light streaming through the small window. Rolling onto my side to get
comfortable, I noticed a small difference in the position of one of the tables.
The table was off by a fraction. I sat up. Looking the table over, I realized
this was not my table. From one angle it appeared to be simply a wooden table,
but by leaning just a smidgen, the table became a box. It was an optical
illusion. The device was elaborate in design, yet understated in execution. I
returned to my chair to get a better view.

From the chair, it was similar to my table. Getting to my
knees in front of the device, I knew I had to find the proper view. I worked
around until the shape was definite. There was no handle or lock that was
visible. The box was not seamless. There was a clear delineation near the top.
Placing my hands along the side where the seams appeared, I ran my fingers
along the opening until I was cut along a finger on each hand. The cuts
coincided with the sound of a latch snapping open as air slowly began to leak
out. Slowly, the lid of the sealed box opened fully.

I waited for the box to finish opening. Irritated, I watched
my blood drip to the floor. The wounds healed rapidly, but uncharacteristic
scars formed. My fingertips felt fine except for the new raised ridges. I
decided not to dwell on the matter. Instead, I opted to find out what was in
the box. Looking inside of the box, I located a single business card shaped
item. Extracting it carefully, I noticed there was writing on one side. The
writing was in red script with a single word: Pit.

"Pit?
What the hell is
Pit?" I asked aloud.

The texture of the paper felt familiar as did the aroma. For
that fact, so did the red ink. I rubbed the paper between my fingers. I knew
this feeling. It was so soft and lifelike. There was a realization that the
paper wasn't paper at all. The note was made from human skin. A shiver went up
my spine. The ink too contained a familiar hint of human that was arousing some
of the darker feelings with me. Bringing it to my nose I knew I was right. The
ink was derived from human blood. There was an urgent desire to taste the
blood. Dried or not, the ink was blood and it was smelled wonderful with a mix
of iron and copper. I fought the vampire side of me desperately trying to not
give into the temptation of licking the card.

"Control dammit," I advised myself.

Embarrassed that I could even fathom such an act, I put the
card on the floor and walked away. Rising from my kneeling position, I allowed
myself to turn away and move to the kitchen.

Grabbing a bag of human blood from the refrigerator, I
opened and began to drink without caring if it was warmed. Pacing around the
kitchen, I taxed my brain trying to figure out what the hell the message meant.
Hours passed and the afternoon turned to night then the night grew late. It was
a mystery that would have to wait. Walking to my bedroom, I decided it was time
to get some rest before having to deal with the others, high school and
Sunnie
.

Before I ever opened the door, I knew Veronica had recently
entered the room. She was stealthy and did an admirable job covering up her
smell, but my abilities were improving. Though she was quiet enough not to
alert me, I could faintly make out her body outline on my bed.

Exhaling as I opened the door, I was not ready to have to
talk to her. She was lying on my bed with her head upon my pillow. Her clothes
were actually normal which was peculiar since on the weekends or on base she
dressed provocatively. With her hair in a ponytail, jeans and graphic T-shirt
she was not the seductress, but the school girl. She had removed her shoes at
the door.

Propping against the door I said timidly, "Hello
Veronica."

"Did you get the invitation from Tobias?" She
asked.

The name Tobias did not register. "I received a card
with Pit inscribed upon it, but I do not know who it was from, and I don't know
what it is for."

"Let’s not worry about it tonight." Veronica
rolled onto her side. Sweetly she requested, "Come here."

I was at a loss. So much had happened recently that I didn't
know how to respond or what were her intentions. There were no answers that
were right for everybody just more questions, and I didn't want to fight.

Getting into bed beside Veronica, I wasn't sure how to
react. She rolled over onto her back to face the ceiling as I joined her. We
lay silently watching the shadows dance above our heads until she turned toward
me. My mouth went dry as her hand slid under my shirt and tenderly rubbed along
my chest. I adjusted my shoulder causing her to shift momentarily as I wrapped
my arm around her. Settling in, I held her as she returned to using her fingers
to lightly trace arcs on my skin from my chest to my stomach. Kissing the top
of her head, I pulled her tighter as she placed her head on my chest, her silky
light brown hair falling onto my arm. There were sensations running through me
that I had never felt with another being.

Veronica went motionless then asked, “Do you care if I stay
tonight?"

Swallowing hard I asked, "You know this isn't what we
should be doing."

She raised her head from my chest and turned to me.
"What are we doing that you are so afraid of?" Veronica breathed. She
didn't wait for my response as she laid her head back upon me.

I clenched my left hand as I sought an explanation for what
I had said. Had I been wrong? I decided to leave it alone and relax, but the
thought was fleeting. Surely this was innocent, though I worried if she wanted
to carry this further, no matter my feelings for
Sunnie
,
would I be able to stop.

"Veronica," I asked, "what are we doing
then?"

She was motionless. Rising up, she rested her chin on my
chest. Her mouth brushed my lower lip for an instant as she started to speak.
"Just hold me tonight Ethan. Just hold me." Veronica stared at me as
her hand rested on my chest.

I craved her. The casual touching of our lips without
carrying it further was enough to drive me to the edge. If my insanity was the
condition she was trying to achieve then she was successful. Pursing my lips, I
responded simply. "Okay."

With my answer, Veronica lowered her head to my chest again.

School did not come Monday for our group or any of the
others. We were all turned away at the edge of the side walk. Walter met us
with a large complement of heavily armed soldiers to shoo us back into our
homes. Without a word, just a smile, and the clicking off of the safeties of
the automatic rifles, we were reminded to obediently follow orders. No further
information was given.