Created (Book 1 of the Created) (8 page)

The red eyes of Bayne appeared hollow, lifeless as he looked
at me. His glare lingered as he looked me over from head to toe. He inhaled
much deeper than I cared. Finished with me, he proceeded to inspect Darby.
Quickly Bayne hissed as he spun and motioned to his legion to proceed.

Squeezing Darby's hand twice to get her attention I bent to
ask her a question. "Why does he not get burned by the light like the
other GV1?"

Darby looked around as if she was keeping a great secret
before she spoke. "The ability was originally sporadic. When the others
found out he could tolerate the light, they made him their leader. He was the
only one in his generation that had the correct gene to allow him to tolerate
exposure, but even his ability is limited to a small concentration of light
from lesser objects including lights, sunlight is still deadly. The other GV1s
cannot even deal with the glow of a ten watt bulb without burning and scarring.
Hence the need to take out the lights as the group progresses on the trip back
home. The ones who have a semblance of immunity take them down to spare the
others from having to deal with the pain."

Unsure how I should react to all the information, I focused
on the large writhing mass of GV1s who were beginning to make noise. The lights
on either side of the road nearest to where we were standing were tossed aside
casting us into the night.

My eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light. It surprised
me that my eyes actually worked better in the dark. The former outlined shapes
were becoming more distinctive; most were easily divided into one of three
groups.

There were the two groups that had made an appearance
previously and a new much shorter, stockier vampire. The number of the shorter
was close to ten, though I did not take the time to count to be sure, an
estimate was enough. The shorter vampires were on average of less than five
foot two more or less with short pig snout noses. The sub group members were in
various state of undress. Many of the vampires were shirtless or in tattered
rags that were stained and covered in filth. The little guys were muscular with
light greenish flesh spread tightly across bulging arms and legs. The few that
opened a mouth showed empty, toothless voids with an occasional fang dangling
by the roots. The tiny hands of the vampire had thin, narrow claws extending
six inches past the tip of each finger.

A few were hobbled from bad injuries that never healed
properly with bones sticking from caked on blood covered old wounds. A couple
had large growths of calcified bone piled underneath the skin where elbows and
knees should have been.

The remaining two groups numbered twenty or so for the
medium sized pinkish fleshed vampires and six of the grays. There were others
that remained out past the torches because of the vampires I had counted none
had ever left the pavement. My vision was limited to about sixty feet so
whatever was destroying the lamps along the path was past my visual limits.

I could hear their breathing, there were four at least. My
hearing was able to pick up a slight difference in variations of bodily
patterns allowing me to determine the type. The hidden extras were the shorter
pig style vampires.

An interesting fact I noticed was that all three groups were
devoid of females or anything resembling females in a since that I knew. The
GV1s were all males.

Jaws snapped and claws raked the pavement as the herd began
to shuffle past our positions. The stench was overwhelming. The smell of open
wounds, dried blood, bodily waste and other tainted sources of odor made Darby
begin to gag as the vampires were within inches of us. Several bumped one and
or all of us in passing. Most were silent, though a few antsy souls growled and
snapped as they passed Darby who was still slightly convulsing from the
horrific aroma.

Veronica had not moved. I was concerned for her safety; she
seemed repulsed, but at ease. Darby on the other hand was nearing a panic. I
grabbed her and pulled her into my arms, sheltering her head in my chest. She
was gently sobbing as the stragglers crept past.

One of the remaining tall GV1s stopped, sneered and stared
at the softly crying girl in my arms. This one was very similar to the leader,
Bayne, but had two large jagged tears in his skin below the left eye that
started at a slit on the bottom lid, finishing at two different intervals
spaced three inches apart at the base of the neck.

The GV1 reached a long flesh bare finger that ended where
the first joint should have started toward a lock of Darby's golden hair. I
held Darby tighter. The finger inched into her hair, tracing up and down then
from side to side. The vampire used another finger to rub together strands of
the shiny hair between as if he was savoring the silky texture before yanking a
solitary cylinder loose from its place.

Darby spun from my arms as she exclaimed, "Fuck! That
hurt asshole!"

No reaction except a creepy smirk as the vampire played with
the golden hair. He appeared mesmerized; unconcerned at the sudden attention he
was receiving.
 

Pissed, Darby was clamoring for a confrontation. Her
demeanor swiftly changed. Quickly, I moved to cut her off as the vampire
smelled of the hair.

My attention was diverted from my current situation when I
realized the other GV1s had stopped and were all trying to noisily jockey for
position to see how the event was going to unfold. The vampires were like
school boys waiting to see a fight. The growls being emitted were a cheer for
their own to take up the cause.

A rush of what I presumed was adrenaline was making my skin
hot. My senses were sharpening. I could feel my claws and fangs straining to be
unleashed. My mind was fumbling through the process of preparing for combat,
but my body was readying.

Unaware of her close proximity to me, Veronica flatly stated,
as she startled me with a ferocious grip on my shoulder, "Don't be
foolish, I know that look in your eye. Just because you can feel the vampire
within you struggling to be freed doesn't mean we can't die. Forget whatever
you think you know about our kind. We are outnumbered and you are still a
changeling. And least we never forget the GV1s are dangerously
unpredictable."

Bayne slid by dragging and walking as he past the three us.
He had taken in the whole affair. A crookedly broken smile framed his horrific
features. Upon his kindred, a violent shove to the chest of the vampire sent
the abomination struggling to stay upright. Spilling onto the ground, the hair
lover clawed the hard packed surface for traction then rose with the swiftness
befitting a large cat. Embarrassed, the vampire disappeared in a blur through
his friends, sending the others into frenzied stampede. Even the ones incapable
of rapid departure moved in a panic state toward the deserted farm houses,
dissolving into the remaining night.

Bayne casually strolled off the pavement, slinking away from
my sight. Veronica removed her hand from my shoulder and turned toward town.

Darby hugged her then me. "Thank you both. Those guys
always give me the creeps."

Veronica made a sucking sound on an extended fang and
started walking. "New guy you have a lot to learn about this world. I hope
you are a quick learner because I would hate to see you deader."

Confused, I looked at Darby, who shrugged, smiled and locked
into step with my tour guide.

Motor-boating my lips, I thought for a second about my
choices when a roaring began deep within my ears. It was gradually getting
louder. Frozen by the searing pain, I was worried my brain was going to melt.
Seconds ticked away as I attempted to plug my ears to block out the sound.
Falling to my knees, I longed to call out, but couldn't manage a word or a
sound.

Through tear filled eyes I searched for Veronica and Darby.
Both were walking toward the Town. Reaching for them briefly I gave up as the
noise settled into a less painful experience, turning into more of an
annoyance. Looking for the source of the annoyingly painful sound, I rose to my
knees. Eyes begging to find the origin of my most recent torment I turned to
the horizon in time to see the first vestiges of the sun's rays creating transparent
strips of orange and red in the sky.

I still couldn't remember my name, yet I could remember
weird facts about Super Bowls and vampires. At the moment, I felt it was less
important to know who the hell Roger
Staubach
played
for and more important to know that vampires tend to combust when exposed to
sunlight.

Waiting for my death, I hoped I was more similar to Bayne
and less similar to Dracula.

Expecting any second to burst into flame, I decided to die
like a man. Taking to my feet as the sound continued to lessen, I admired the
beauty of this sunrise thinking it could be my last.

The sun shine warmed my cold, lifeless skin and had never
felt so alive.

Veronica called, "Hey! Are you coming sometime
today?"

A quarter mile away Veronica and Darby stared dumbfounded
back at me. Darby had the look I was sure was her signature grin on her face.
Veronica was a blank expression except for her eyes. Her eyes lied. They spoke
of a mischievous soul who was secretly laughing at a fledgling vampire.

Jogging down the warming pavement to catch up again, I found
the pair waiting semi-patiently. "Sorry. I know you are already tired of
hearing it, but I am. The thoughts in my head don't match the reality I am
living."

Darby giggled. “It’s fine.” She giggled again. “I am
guessing your first question about the sunlight will be why you don’t
explode."

Darby and Veronica burst out laughing.

I wasn't real positive what was so damn funny, but I was
sure it was about another vampire myth debunked. "Bursting into flames was
my most pressing concern."

Veronica said in the tone of being a true tour guide,
"We are lucky. We are GV16s. Our generation is one of seven complete that
have a sun adaptation. Thankfully our creators found a solution to the variety
of offsets that were inherit in gene alteration. Our mutations are much more
subtle than some of the ones you may meet in Town."

Before I had time to digest the newest upload of
information, Veronica finished. "And don't stare."

Thinking of which question I should lead with as we walked,
I had forgotten the walking part. Veronica and Darby had begun the journey
without me again. From the agitated look upon Veronica's face as she checked on
my progress, I knew unless confronted by another monster we would not be stopping.

Closing the distance, I opened with a question. "So
what is our adaptation?"

Veronica and I paced in stride together, almost floating on
air, but something was off. She was distracted and far away, my question
floating away without an answer.

Darby made the trip more bearable. Her personality was
contagious. She was bubbly and upbeat. As we prodded along in unison, she
seemed to bounce and not glide in step. Obviously without our shared affliction
Darby would have been an incredibly desirable young woman. She still was.
Curious thoughts of my vampire life interweaved with a longing for Darby. Even
she eventually faded away.

My mind was wandering from the critical information I needed
to keep me from descending into madness. An unstoppable thought reverberated:
feed. The events with Bayne and the distraction of the sunrise had not
satisfied my hunger, but delayed it. The issue had fizzled into nothing more
than a hindrance. Now the hunger was scorching my stomach and throat.

Veronica must have sensed my predicament. "The pain
will go away once you feed."

I was trembling as I wrapped my arms around my torso to see
if I could make the pain go away. "How did you know?"

"Your body chemistry is off, your eyes are blackening,
and you are shaking." Veronica rattled off.

Looking to Darby, the slight nod meant her friend must be
right.

Dropping from their sides, following behind, my hands sought
my face especially my eyes, but it was of no use I could not feel a change.
Smelling of me, there was no unusual odor. Even inside I was fine or so I
believed. I knew I felt normal except for the worsening hunger.
Maybe since they were fully formed vampires, and not a changeling,
their senses worked at a level much higher than mine.

My thoughts were totally random. There would be a rational
thought which would then be followed by a thought about my hunger. The thoughts
battled back and forth.
Rational.
Hunger.
Rational.
Hunger.
Then hunger
began to dominate. For every rational thought, I began to have ten thoughts
about my hunger. A torrent of rational thought broke free squeezing out rapidly
before the hunger could dominate again.

The thoughts were all related to a single fact, I am a
killer. At any moment I could rip out the throats of my new friends. I worried
it could end badly for us all. Still they walked and I followed. Surprisingly,
neither of my companions seemed appetizing. There was no need or want to
consume their blood.
 

The girls were silent which left me even more alone with my
painful need to feed.

A flash of movement from Veronica broke me from my
obsession.

Veronica was securing her cape to cover her red bustier.
Modesty amongst vampires I contemplated until I looked further down the path.

The Town neared, less than a mile ahead.

Hunger or no hunger blinding my judgment, I knew the crowd
of people standing at the end of a row of houses at the edge of town was no
welcoming committee.

To our right, men dressed in black military fatigues were
using shovels to scrap up shards of bones and chunks of tissue from the
concrete floor inside an enclosure made of treated lumber. A lone man stood in
a corner using a hose to wash away dried blood and the smaller remaining bits
and pieces.