The Last Human (Vampires Rule # 1) (11 page)

I feel a stab of annoyance, but rush on to the first
q
uestion, “What was that
thing?”

“
That was a creature from the Shadow
Zon
e,” Elis replies in flat
voice.

“
Why was it
after me?”

“
It wasn’t, unti
l it found out you were human.”

“
Then, who was it…” I trail off as the answer
presents itself in my head like a bright red cherry atop of a cake.
“The c
reature was after the
new guy?”

Elis nods in affirmation. I turn my gaze to my empty
plate, before looking back up and asking my next question, “How did
it get here? And where is it now? And why was it after the new guy?
And w
hat is the new guy doing
here?”

Maxwell rubs his chin, his black beard thick and
coarse. “It somehow slipped through the borders unnoticed.” He
exchanges a quick glance with Elis, and unspoken words pass between
them. “I initially kept it at bay, Elis held it
of
f. We regrouped and killed
it.”

“
As for why it was after the new guy, mind taking
a guess?”
Elis says
politely.

My mind is buzzing with Maxwell’s words, and it takes
a momen
t for Elis’s words to
register.

“
How am I supposed to know? I snap. “You said he
was a fugitive, they were tr
ying to take him or something?”

“
Yes, they were trying to take him. But have you
wondered why he had been assigned protection?” Elis
s
ays, ignoring my rude
attitude.

“
So he doesn’t
eat me?”

“
No.”

“
Then
what?”

“
He’s
human.”

It takes several
moments for the words to hammer home, and when they do, my jaw
drops open. “No way.”

Elis walks over and takes the seat opposite me,
placing his elbows on the table. “The Kron Vampires initially held
him prisoner. They were using him as a blood harvest machine. Lexus
res
cued him and brought him
here.”

I sit up straight and swallow the shock. “So…how did
they get him? And how was he rescued?” The words ‘Blood Harvest’
echo around in my mind. So they had bee
n using him as…as a blood bank?

“
Lexus undertook the rescue himself. So to speak,
he took him from under their noses,” Elis says. “Of course the
Krons eventually figured it out, but they never knew
who kidnapped him, until
now.”

“
So they sent those creatures to get him
back?”
My voice comes out as a
small whisper.

Elis brow creases and he nods. “Yes. And that is the
most disturbing part. Somehow, the Kron Vampires have forged an
alliance with the Valkyries.” Seeing my stunned and confused
expression, Elis elaborates, “The Shadow Zone is home to various
mutated creatures. When the humans were waging wars, nations used
biological and chemical weapons against one another. They also used
human weapons.” He pauses and glances out the window. The sun is
setting in the sky, and orange and yellow flames
ar
e spreading across the
horizon.

“
The creature you
encountered is a by-product of the actions of
humans,” Elis says turning his gaze back to me. “Once those
creatures were humans, but radiation exposure has altered them into
monsters.

“
The Shadow Zone is cloaked with an impenetrable
mist of darkness. The creatures that reside their sparsely leave
the confine of
the mist that
surrounds them.”

I try to gather my scattered thoughts, which are
blowing around in my mind like gust blown flower petals. “How come
these humans…I mean creatures, how come they
don’t come after us?”

“
The Shadow Zone is their home. But most
importantly
, they cannot bear
sunlight. We leave them alone, and in turn they stay away from us,”
Elis says. “But now, it seems that has changed.”

I don’t know how long we sat there in silence,
wondering in our own thoughts. I
think about Zack. He was assigned protection for his own sake;
he wore glasses because his eyes were not red rimmed; he kept a
distance from everyone less someone figure him out, he never spoke
in case it gave him away. It all makes sense now.

“
So this was the issue Lexus was referring to?” I
say as the pieces fit in place. Zack wasn’t the threat, but the
Kron Vampire
s were, and my
proximity to Zack would have placed me in danger. So that was why
Lexus told me to keep away from Zack.

“
Yes,” Elis
says.

I nod
, and ask
him about Lexus.

Elis scratches his chin with one long finger.
“He
departed without notifying
us of the reason.”

“
So you don’t
know?”

Elis and
Maxwell
shake their heads.

“
How about
Gregory?”

“
He knows as
much as us,” Elis says, though his tone is careful.

I stuff my hands in my pockets, and feel
something
smooth brush against
my fingertips. I take out the sheet of paper, realising it was the
note that Lexus had left me. I look back at Elis, “What did he say
in the letter he gave you?” For a moment I think he is not going to
tell me, but to my surprise he extracts a letter from his own
pocket.

“
He
re,” he
says, handing it to me.

I take it, and slowly unfold it.

Elis

When this letter
reaches you I will be gone. I cannot give a time frame in when I
will be back. But in my absence, take care of Jake as though he is
your own kith and kin. Watch over him and make sure he comes to no
harm. Keep him away from Zack. It will only place Jake in vital
danger. I have left Gregory to handle affairs in my absence. He
will make sure the borders are kept under tight watch. If something
goes wrong in my absence, Elis, do what you think is best. But
never let harm come to Jake, no matter what happens.

Lexus

I place the letter
back on the table, my insides cold and brittle, and stare at it in
silence. I sigh and look back at Elis, who had been gazing at me
intently. “So what now?” I ask.

“
The events of yesterday are taken care of. We
spun a story about a Vampire going feral, killing the librarian,
and rampaging after you,”
Elis
explains. “As far as everyone’s concerned, it was just a Vampire
losing his mind.”

“
So no one
knows what actually happened?”

“
Aside from a select few
, the population is ignorant. There were several
witnesses, but they will remain silent.”

“
So what
happens now?”

Elis and Maxwell exchange a glance. “Now?” Elis
repeats, he glances at his watch before looking back up at me, a
smile building across his lips
. “It is time for you to go to school.”

At first I think he
is joking, but when he doesn’t say anything, I think he is serious.
“You can’t be serious?”

Maxwell chuckles and
weaves his fingers through his short beard.

Elis smiles. “Like I said, everyone
believes everything is normal. So
yes, I am serious.”

“
What about the creatures? Or the
Kron Vampires? How about
Zack?”

Elis’s face turns serious. “We will take each day as
it comes. It may mean war, because the Kron Vampires will never
give
up in trying to reclaim
Zack.”

I nod, the reality of the situation dawning
upon
me. “Where is Zack now?”
I say.

“
On his way to school I believe, so you should
get ready less you wish to be late,” Elis says getting to his feet.
“Don’t worry about Lexus. He is
much cleverer than you think.”

I push my chair back and stand up. I
look between Elis and Maxwell with a
smirk playing across my lips. “So which one of you blood suckers is
driving?”

Maxwell points a
finger at Elis and we both burst out laughing. Elis arches an
eyebrow at us, but joins in the banter with a rich laugh of his
own, creating a moment of light in the darkness of the situation.
But I know dark times lie ahead of us all.

The End

Turn over to read the
First Chapter of the
Second book, Crisis!

After the encounter with the Valkyries, Jake
tries to lead a normal life, and keep up appearances within the
city. But at school he faces intimidation from Davilon, the son of
powerful Vampire Victor. And with Lexus still absent, threats begin
to present themselves one after the other, and Jake eventually
finds himself in a heart breaking situation.

It turns out
Elis was serious about me going to school. He said it was crucial I
attend, because my absence may give birth to funny ideas in the
heads of some individuals; such as I was more vulnerable and easy
for the taking; that attempts on my life were worth a shot; that my
protection was lapsed. I understood where he was coming from.
Keeping up appearances was essential in this world, especially when
others around you naturally saw you as food. I didn’t need any more
encouragement than that to comply.

I checked my
wound before we left. It was now a faint scar, lining the right
side of my head, already scabbed over. I applied a fresh bandage
and put on a hat, to hide any signs of physical damage. I didn’t
want to draw any unwanted attention, because the sight of the blood
might just push one of the Vampires over the edge.

Despite Elis’s
earlier reassurances - that Lexus can handle him-self - I can’t
help but feel a stab of worry for him. When will he be back? The
longer he is away the more anxious I am getting. Even though he is
the most powerful Vampire I have ever come across, I’m beginning to
worry that something may have happened to him. He isn’t
indestructible, none of the Vampires are. And we have no contact
him with, and he hasn’t contacted us either.

Another
disturbing thought is that I might not be so lucky when another
attempt on my life is launched. Without Lexus’s presence and with
what occurred yesterday, I’m afraid anything could happen. I’ve
never left so scared for my own life before. Yes, I was always in
danger with my proximity with the Vampires, but it was never like
this. Deliberate attempts to kill me were something I never had to
factor in, but now all that has changed.

An image of the
huge wolf creature - the Valkyrie - flashes through my mind; its
eyes gleaming blue; its jaw opened revealing rows of razor sharp
teeth; its deep growl resonating through the night, and the way it
had launched itself at me, bent on devouring my flesh. So this is
another threat I am now facing. The other night was a close call,
and if more of these creatures manage to slip through the
border…

I sigh and
stare out the window as we drive to the school. Buildings zoom by,
disappearing into the distance as we leave them behind. I check my
wristwatch to find that we are a few minutes late, and as we round
the street corner and come into full view of the school, I see
Vampires walking through the entrance gates. They pause and glance
at us as Elis parks the car on the curb.

Before we had
left, Elis and Maxwell had filled me in on the tiny details of the
PR story aired to the rest of the city citizens, about the incident
at the library, and the follow up attack on the road. Simply; a
Vampire turned feral and killed the librarian; it then chased me
through the streets; I had managed to get in the car and drove it
through the city, but I eventually crashed it (witnesses can
confirm this); Elis caught up and despatched the Vampire in
question before it was able to kill me.

The story is
straightforward enough, but in the rare occasion that I find myself
having to explain the details, I will just quote the official
version of events with a straight face.

We exit the car
and amble up to the school. I fumble with the strap of my backpack
as we approach the main gate. Dozens of Vampires are hanging around
the fence. They shoot glances in our direction, and some smirk at
me before quickly looking away. Others regard us with blank
expressions, their emotions hidden behind their stoic features.

I ignore them,
avert my eyes to the ground, and walk in their direction. They move
out of our path at the sight of Elis and Maxwell, and turn their
attentions back to their friends.

I had been too
involved in ignoring the mass of stares, and I hadn’t noticed the
lone Vampire striding towards us, until he pauses in our path. A
twinge of unease settles in my stomach as I look up at him.

“
I heard
about the unfortunate events,” says Victor Lakeshore, his tone mild
and uninterested. His matte black eyes drift to my head.
“Unfortunate indeed,” he murmurs.

I hide my
surprise. How did he know I injured my head? The official story
didn’t mention any injury. It just said the feral Vampire was
brutally put down before he could cause any harm. Perhaps by
wearing a hat I have given myself away, but I doubt it. I have worn
a hat many times before, so it isn’t anything unusual.