Created (Book 1 of the Created) (32 page)

Veronica had a way to get the deepest and most complex
realities of our life and provided facts that made me think. I never doubted
for a moment that what Veronica said was true as I examined the features of her
face. She was the most breath taking woman I had ever seen and deserved more
than to worry about my death because of what I had done.

"Veronica I am sorry for everything. I cannot say it
enough so let me say it again now because after the Pit, I am not sure I will
be able to utter the words."

The tears in her eyes shimmered as we both stood face to
face staring into the others eyes. "What do you mean?" Veronica
asked.

"I am afraid you will get a chance to cry those tears
because I am not sure I can kill Liam to pay for what I have done. According to
the way we live our lives and by the laws of this damn place, I am the one that
has sinned," I anxiously said.

She grabbed my tie and pulled me closer. "You listen to
me Ethan. You will do whatever you have to do to live. There is no valor in
death no matter what the act is that caused it. There is no sacrifice, no final
act of attrition. This is a world of kill or be killed. Liam will not hesitate
and neither shall you. Do not let this be a decided contest because you think
you two are friends. You will kill him when the time comes."

There was a consuming passion in me to do something that was
out of character, but the moment warranted. I bent down and gently kissed
Veronica. "Thank you. I think you have too much faith in me, but thank you
for having that faith."

We stared at each other for a tense minute because neither
one of us knew what should happen next.

The tension became awkwardness when Darby called through the
storm door from the edge of the porch. "We need to go before we are late
and the guest of honor can't be late. That would be so tacky. "

We separated as Veronica answered, "We will be there in
just a second Darby. You and Logan go on without us."

Darby responded, "Okay, but hurry."

"She doesn't know what is happening tonight does
she?" I quizzed Veronica.

"Darby doesn't want to know. She is
right,
it is getting close to time for us to get there. We need to leave."

She exited, and I promptly followed suit only to pause in
the open doorway. I scanned my living room and kitchen taking in the confines
of my small house one last time in case I didn't return. As I turned off the
lights and closed the door, a single thought wedged itself into my brain: I
really wish I could have told
Sunnie
goodbye.
  

All Veronica had done since our exiting the house was adjust
her hair color to a light shade of black and clutch tighter to my arm. The way
she held my arm reassured me that it was all going to be alright even if that
was the furthest thing from the truth. I opted to not dwell on the thought of
dying,
Sunnie
or the complicated relationship that
was developing with Veronica. The kiss I had allowed myself to give her had
seemed like a friendly gesture of reassurance for us both, but from the look
upon her face and the feelings inside of me that were awakened, I might have
made matters worse.

There were plenty of distractions. The street was abuzz with
activity. Armed human troops guarded the perimeter of the small town with
active patrols in large numbers. Hidden spotlights had been activated atop the
abandoned buildings. The lights helped to line either side of the street
basking all below in an unnaturally warm glow that was eerily reminiscent of an
attempt to create artificial daylight. Soldiers manned armed positions above
the lights. A few were documenting the events with large production quality
video cameras. The cameras were mainly mounted atop Humvees, though two were
atop tripods on either side of the street, one at each end of town. Two large
portable video screens were placed in the street so those not inside the
confines of the Pit were able to see the festivities.

Generations of vampires who were tolerant of the light and
generations of wolves were roaming the streets and alleyways. There was an
uneasy playfulness as members of each group engaged in games of chase up and
down the pavement. Other creatures could be heard at the fringes of town just
out of the reach of the light. More still in the darkest recesses of the forest
and fields surrounding the town. There was a steady torrent of grunts,
screeches and growls amongst the heavy plodding of large groups approaching
through the night. I took it that Veronica and I were the only two upon the
street that were from our world attending the event. A small whisper grew amongst
the beasts that were moving about as we stepped from the shadow of the last
house. Though we were for away from most, we were given a wide birth to go
along with the stares. There were even a few insults hurled my way, but I kept
walking.

At the edge of town was a makeshift parking lot filled with
military and civilian cars including several black stretch limousines. A small
trickle of a late dignitaries were ushered into the entrance of a rather
ordinary, scarcely lit building that had a small cadre of well-heeled people
and military officials in dress uniforms standing in front of it laughing and
swapping stories. The laughing and stories ended when the last group was
ushered inside as we neared.

I took it that it was our destination though Veronica hadn't
said another word since we had left my house. It was obvious.
  

The Pit was neatly hidden within the town under the facade
of the being an old clothing store. Outside the appearance was rotting wood and
broken glass. A few faded words that had once been painted on the windows with
red or orange paint were visible, though the missing letters made it hard to decipher.
The wording of the sign above the door was faded to the extent that the name
had been completely lost. It was irrelevant because the discarded structure had
been repurposed.

Within a few feet of the entrance, I detected the presence
of Walter lurking close just across the threshold inside the darkness of an
antechamber. It was easier than it should have been, but the glow and stench of
a cheap cigar gave him away even before his human attributes.

Veronica and I both stopped before entering. We waited until
Walter stepped from the small room.

"I am glad you finally made it," Walter's attempt
at sardonic humor was weak.

"We wouldn't have missed it for the world. Can you
please show me where I go to be killed?" I said, as I laughed to myself
that my humor was much better.

Walter said, "Veronica will join the others at her
appointed seat and you will follow me to the floor."

Veronica gave me a long kiss on my cheek. "Good
luck."

She did not look back as she was hastened through a doorway
by a couple of armed soldiers.

Walter beckoned me through another doorway that he was
holding open. I pushed past him into a small hallway that was brightly light by
overhead lighting. The hallway was sparse and narrow. It contained no other
doorways other than a single golden door at the opposite end. The walls were
painted with a burnt red that was faintly reminiscent of fresh blood. Slowly
making my way to the far end, I was followed by Walter and four soldiers armed
and in full body armor including helmets. Masks obscured their faces. The body
armor did little to hide the fact that the guards were zombies. Reaching the
far end, the zombies snapped to attention with two upon each wall. The
soldiers, each in unison, flipped the safeties to the off position in anticipation
of my trying to flee.

Walter stepped around me. "Well, are you ready for
this?"

"As ready as I will ever be I guess," I replied.

"A reminder this is to the death and no matter what
either one of you wants to do there must be only a single vampire standing. If
you get the notion to refuse to kill him or vice versa, then there are orders
to kill you both. This would not be the night to try to be defiant in front of
the honored guests or even your own kind. Like I said good luck," He
offered.

"You know Walter, you are such a dick," I said as
I turned the doorknob.

He laughed from behind his cigar then removing it he said,
"Well at least I am still human."

The comment shouldn't have had the sting that it did, but
the words hit home. I shook it off as I whispered, "I hate these damn
emotions."

"So are you going in there or do you need some
help?" Walter questioned as the bolts of the zombies weapons snapped
closed sending rounds into the chambers.

"You realize Walter you are correct. You are human
which means I could kill you before your slow witted guards fired a
round," I growled, "I could snatch your diseased heart from your
chest with a single movement, so next time try some tact."

Opening the door, I threw myself through the opening into a
pit. Standing thirty feet away was Liam. He had removed his shirt and shoes. A
fowl scowl covered his face. The floor of the pit was concrete. The walls were
as well. Along the edge of the floor were several drains. Inside the walls were
small round openings that smelled of bleach and chlorinated water to clean the
blood from the room. Along the top edge was an encased lighting system that
ringed the entire pit. Fifteen feet above us to one side sat the invited guests
ringed by more soldiers and to the other side sat the members of the last two
generations of the vampires and wolves.

The groups were intermingled with the group leaders
sectioned together from both kinds, and the others left to fill in as dictated
by an official with a clipboard who was propped against the back. The room was
ornate and plush. The entire audience sat in thick black leather theatre
seating. The walls were lined in a matching red noise dampening material that
was fitted with sconces that illuminated upward. High overhead were large
television screens. There was an electric buzz, but hushed silence in the room.

There were multi-starred generals and men who looked to be
scientists mixed about. A few women were interspersed. A few were employees
while others were military then a small handful were obviously hired as
entertainment for evening. It hit me that these were zombies or another
creation that wasn't either a wolf or vampire. The odor made me think zombie,
however, there was a subtle difference that I couldn't recognize.

Turning my attention back to the pit, I cautiously eyed Liam
who stood still staring through me. I wondered to myself when this event was
set to begin when a curtain opened in the middle of the room above. Everyone's
attention turned to watch as members of what I guessed were Chadron made their
way to their seats. The last two people to enter the room were a tall, handsome
man with salt and pepper hair and someone who was blocked from view. He was
dressed in what was clearly a custom made suit of grey which was tastefully appointed
by a purple tie and pocket square.
Behind him stood a female,
though her appearance was obscured by the gentleman and the narrowness of the
opening.
He entered and surveyed the room, waving and greeting human
along with monster. Satisfied at who and what he saw about the room, he smiled
and turned to help his companion into the room.
 

Taking his companion's hand, he stepped aside to allow her
to enter. It was
Sunnie
. She looked ravishing dressed
in a stunning, off white strapless gown. There was an uncomfortable smile upon
her face. The man guided her to a seat on the front row. Upon sitting down, she
gave a tentative wave to me.

This was a measure of cruelty by someone. If I was able to
fend off Liam, I was going to certainly make whoever brought
Sunnie
into our world pay.

I sought confirmation from Veronica's eyes as to whether or
not she had known. She was actively busying herself making quiet pleasantries
with a wolf I didn't know. This was confirmation enough that she knew to some
extent. It was something I would have handle later.

The mysterious man was handed a microphone. "Let me
introduce myself. I am Mathias
Dencourt
, the Director
of Future Systems for Chadron."

A round of polite applause was issued from the crowd. He
raised his hands as he spoke again, "Ladies and gentlemen of all species,
we are here tonight to celebrate our wonderful program's success as we move
closer to implementation. Preliminary field tests have been more positive than
we could have ever hoped. Tonight, we have two of our GV16s. To my right I have
Ethan, who saved an innocent civilian family from an escaped Hunter. In an
unprecedented move, we have a member of the civilian family as a spectator
tonight. He has proven to be one of our most promising young subjects. On the
other side we have Liam, who is another of our prized GV16. It was through his
fault that the GV6 was able to escape and track the family.

As a demonstration of the tremendous qualities of our
creations, we have gathered here to witness a battle to the death. It serves as
a shining example of how far we have come in our search for the ultimate
operative as well as an opportunity for redemption for Liam or to further the
promising career of Ethan. Tonight's match is to the death. Everyone's safety is
assured, and I hope you all enjoy."

His attention turned to us. I thought it was best to lose
the jacket and tie. "Ethan and Liam, when the digital timer counts down to
zero, the match will begin and will not end until one of you has been
pronounced dead."

An audible buzzer signaled the countdown to begin as Mathias
sat down. The countdown started at thirty. I watched as the red numerals
flashed with each decrease. At fifteen, I glanced at
Sunnie
who was visibly shaken. She was being whispered to by Mathias. At ten, I turned
to Veronica who looked away. At five, I realized I was on my own. Before the
buzz finished sounding at zero, I was forced to dodge a flying forearm from
Liam.