The Last Human (Vampires Rule # 1) (10 page)

I open my eyes to find the plastic of the airbag
pressed up against my face. I push it away, and try to sit up. I
realize the car is overturned on its side, but the windows are
still intact from the impact. I take a deep breath and wince as a
sharp pain flares across the right side of my head.

I stand up on shaky legs, and blink up into the
darkness. I stretch and push the door open. I grip the frame and
heave myself out, and onto the top of the car. I jump off the car,
and walk blindly across the road until I fall to the ground and my
knees thud against the concrete. All energy is sapped from my body
and the sharp pain in my
head
is throbbing like crazy.

“
M
y oh my,
what do we have here.”

I raise my head, slowly, as tendrils of fear coil
around my neck. Standing several feet away from me, half hidden
within the shadows of a building, red eyes alight, is a Vampire. He
steps out into view and my eye
s dart to his top hat, and then to his long coat that flaps
around the edges as the wind lightly blows against it, and with a
sudden coldness that hits the core of my heart like a glacier, I
realize it is the Vampire who had blocked the road the day when my
finger was bleeding.

He takes several steps towards me, his movements
smooth and graceful, unrushed and steady. I force myself into
a
standing position, lurching
backwards; and the Vampire pauses and flashes an evil
smirk.

“
It was always better when they ran. Oh the hunt
that followed. Nothing like it,” he purrs as his lips curve into a
malicious smirk. His eyes take a distant look as if he is
remem
bering something from his
past.

“
You can’t touch me,” I say ins
tantly, but the words are weak.

“
Oh is that so? Think old Lexus will come to save
you?” He glances around at the deserted streets, conveying his
point quite clearly, before turning his gaze back on me. His long
beard bristles as a g
ust of
wind blows against him.

“
The aroma that is coming off you right now”- he
licks his lips with his tongue -
“half the Vampires in the area will be here in no time.” His
eyes flicker to my head. I quickly touch the side of my head and my
hand comes away with blood, dark red and coppery, and worse,
fresh.

The Vampires smirk widens. “Been a long time, it
really has.
” His eyes flash
crimson, his fangs jut out, but before he can pounce at me, he is
tackled from behind.

At first I’m not even sure what has happened, and I
stare in numb shock and surprise. But then, I see Elis, his clothes
are torn and caked with dry blood. He has the Vampire around the
neck. The Vampire snarls, the sound savage and strained as his wind
pipe is constricted. He tries to claw at Elis’s hands, but his
movements are sluggish as the life is sapped out of him. “Run!”
Elis growls, his blue eyes alert, and he yanks the Vampires head
ba
ckwards with a sickening
crack.

I turn tail and
sprint for my life.

***

My lungs pump acid,
my muscles strain under the exertion, and adrenalin surges through
my veins. I run pass several Vampires on the streets who cock their
heads curiously in my direction, but to my relief, they do not give
chase.

I have my hand pressed against the side of my head,
stemming the flow of blood. I’m not sure how bad the wound is,
only
that I have to get out of
here.

I turn into a narrow alley. The map of the town is
vaguely etched in my mind. The Manor is not far from here, just a
few roads away. I sprint, using every ounce of energy my body can
provide. Then, something blocks the
pathway, a shadow falling from a roof.

I stop, almost staggering, as I squint in the
darkness and my heartbeat quickens. I take a step back as
th
e shadow moves in my
direction.

“
Come
on.”

Relief floods through me, as I
recognize Elis’s voice. He comes closer, and under
the moon light I see him fully, and a new scar runs down the side
of his face. “We need to move, fast,” he whispers. He grabs me with
two arms, ignoring my protests and throws me over his shoulder like
a sack of potatoes. The next instance, we are traveling at break
neck speed, the surroundings are a blur as Elis careens through the
night.

We stop almost instantly and Elis puts me back on my
feet. I s
way on the spot,
dazed by the experience, my mind swirling around in circles. Elis
grabs my arm and pilots me through the Manor’s gates. We walk along
the path and up to the entrance. The Artico Guards stiffen when
they see me and their eyes flicker to my head.

“
Initiate Lockdown,” Elis says,
hi
s voice ringing with
authority.

The two Artico Guards exchange glances and look at
Elis’s torn clothes, but they nod and disappear into the
darkness of the Manor’s
grounds.

“
I’m going to leave you in your room. Do not let
anyone in unless it is me,” Elis says as we t
ake the first flight of stairs.

I stop and inhale sharply. “You need to tell me
what’s going on.” An image of the creature we had encountered at
the library flashes through my mind. “And
what the hell was that thing?”

“
Get some rest today, tomorrow
I will answer you best I can.”

“
Where’s Lexus? Has he come back yet?” If Lexus
is here I know ev
erything will
be fine.

“
No,” Elis says and begins to march me up the
stairs. I’m exhausted and worn out, so
I follow him without argument.

Elis comes to a halt.
And I look up to see Gregory standing in the hallway.

His eyes move
from Elis and then to me, and then, they slowly progress to my
head. His gaze stays there until Elis steps in front of me. A pang
of sadness rips through my insides, slicing arteries and veins
along its path. Regardless of how many times Gregory and I had
spent alone, we will never be the same. He will always be a
Vampire, and I, the weak prey. The thirst will always be there for
him.

Gregory shakes his head as if snapping out of a daze.
“What happened?” he says to Elis though his eyes drift over me, his
usual self no
w reflected in
the grey arises.

“
Long story,” Elis
says with a shake of his head. “But I have initiated
lockdown.”

Gregory stares at Elis. He
cocks his head to one side, and gives Elis a once
over. I glance at Elis’s ripped clothes, caked with dried blood,
but there is no sign of any fresh wounds apart from the scar on his
face, which is fading as his accelerated healing works its
wonders.

“
It must be serious by the looks of it,” Gregory
finally says. He nods his head and moves to one side. “I’ll meet
you
downstairs,” he says to
Elis.

Elis nods, giving him a sidelong glance, and marches
me to my room. I notice he stays between me and Gregory like some
shield and I try not to think too much of it, but a ball of sadness
begins to blossom in my stomach. Even though I don’t look up and
keep my eyes to the floor, Gregory’s stare burns into the back of
my head, and I know that for the past years I have deluded myself;
most of them will always see me as food and
nothing will change that fact.

We pause by my door and I take a black key out of my
pocket. I glance over my sh
oulder to find Gregory is gone.

“
Keep your door locked at all times. Do not open
it in any circumstance unless it is me. I’ll bring something up for
you to eat later,” Elis says, he glances over his shoulder as
though he has heard something. “And clean the blood up.” He turns
back towards me and I suddenly
realize he must be craving for my blood. Given all the wounds
he must have taken fighting the creature and that wayward Vampire,
he must be starving.

I nod my head once and unlock my door. I step into
the warmth of my room. I catch one last glimpse of Elis, before
closing and locking the door. The reinforced titanium bars slide
securely into place, giving me a safety net. Lexus had my whole
room built with Titanium, just in case he said. The door is
unbreakable. So are the walls, the floor and the ceiling, and the
windows are bomb proof. So everything is Vampire proof. My closet
is stocked up with food supplies in case a scenario like this ever
arose.

I sigh, and wince at the pain on the side of my head.
I amble towards the bathroom and turn the taps on. I catch my
reflection in the mirror. My face is drawn and shiny with sweat,
and my hair is mingled with blood on one side of my head. I turn
away from my reflection and wash my face. I ignore the stinging
from my wound and put my head under the tap. I close my eyes
as
cold water bounces off the
cut.

I trudge back to my bedroom, take my med kit out from
under my bed and clean the slash before
applying a bandage around it. I fall back on my bed
with exhaustion. My head is pounding, while my muscles ache. My
eyelids feel heavy and my breathing slows. I vaguely hear something
hammering against my door, but I’m too tired to do anything, and I
drift off into a dreamless sleep.

***

My eyes flutter
open, and I shield them from the bright rays of sun burning
against my face. I must have forgotten to put the blinds up. I prop
myself up on my elbows, my muscles feel heavy and spent. In a
sudden rush of images, the events from yesterday come flooding back
to me; the library, the creature, the attack by the Vampire,
Gregory’s stares.

I sigh and force myself off my bed. I linger by the
door, wondering if I should open it. Elis’s warning bounces around
it my head:
Do not
open it in any circumstances
.
So I stand there, like an idiot, staring at the door handle
wondering what I should do. My lips feel parched and dry, and I
realize I haven’t eaten or drank anything for hours. My stomach
rumbles as if giving me a gentle reminder to feed it. I consider
eating something from the stockpiles in my closet.

“
Open up. It’s
me.”

The voice catches me off guard, and my heart falters
with the surprise. But it is only Elis. With a deep
breath
, I gingerly open the
door. The first thing I spot is a minor mark in the titanium, on
the outside of the door. I frown and look up at Elis who is
standing several feet away, arms folded. Then, understanding dawns
upon me. Someone must have lost control over the scent of my blood,
and must have tried to come after me while I slept. I vaguely
remember the sound of something pounding on the door; must have
been a Vampire.

“
You must be
hungry.”

I glance up at Elis,
who looks much better than yesterday. He’s wearing a black shirt
with the top button undone, along with grey trousers and black
boots. The scar on his face is gone, and the skin is smooth and
good as new.

“
Yeah,” I reply, and then gesture to the
ma
rk on the door. “Who did
this?”

“
One of the Vampires turned feral,” he
says, his voice cool and
calm.

“
So…what
happened exactly?”

He ignores me and begins to walk down the hallway,
his feet almost gliding along the floor. “Come on,” he calls over
his shoulder. I sprint after him, thinking it is probably best if I
don’t
know what
happened.

I follow Elis down the stairs and into the kitchen. I
stop in shock as I see Maxwell standing in the shade, away from the
sun’s rays that are beatin
g
through the uncovered window.

I open my mouth to talk but Elis places a hand on my
shoulder
. “Eat first,
questions later.”

I nod numbly and
saunter over to the fridge. Usually the maid leaves some frozen
food for me, but today there’s nothing. “What’s up with the maid,”
I say, breaking the silence, only for it to engulf the kitchen
again.

“
Want me to
cook you something?” Elis says. I turn the offer down, not wanting
to create a fuss.

I pour myself a glass of milk and bowl of cereal, and
sit myself at the kitchen table. I glance up at Elis and Maxwell,
who are
staring at nothing in
particular. They don’t have their shades on, and it’s the first
time I have seen Maxwell’s eyes. They are yellow. I actually find
myself smiling at that. Out of all the colors, yellow?

I stuff a spoonful of cereal into my mouth and it is
only then I
realize how hungry
I actually am. I shovel the rest of the cereal into my mouth like a
starved banshee until I have rinsed my plate clean. I push my empty
plate away, feeling refreshed.

“
You said you’d answer my questions,” I
say, looking directly at
Elis.

Elis nods, his face calm and impassive, “But I didn’t
say I will answer them all. But considering the events that have
transpired, it is best if you know th
e truth, so you can be alert.”