Vampocalypse (old first draft)

Chapter Ten

Each of my family members were present in the living quarters when I entered, tipped off, no doubt, by the superiors that had already sent out the word of my transfer.

"Oh, honey." My mother said, seeing my tears. "It won't be so bad. You get to start a family!" I wasn't imagining things; she was honestly happy. My father, to my horror, was also beaming like a mad-person.

What about the fact that they're forcing me into it? What about the fact of never seeing your only daughter again? What about the fact that I won't be able to keep a single one of my children? I wanted to ask them, but I just couldn't. I bit my tongue and hugged them each in turn, knowing that their behavior wasn't a fault of their own, but a product of living the compound life for so long. They were brain-washed.

I looked at my brother, who seemed angry. "At least you're getting out of here. You won't have to give them your blood anymore." He grumbled.

No, I thought, only my newborn children. Again, I bit my tongue. I nodded and gave him a swift, one armed hug.

Finally, I went to Grandma in her rocking chair, who was the only one with sense enough to be sad. I embraced her as though she were my lifeline. "I love you, Gramma." I told her between sobs.

"And I love you, my darling girl." She said aloud, then she whispered, "I worried about this, but you'll be fine. I'll tell him all you need to know."

Her words were caught by ears only, and I kissed her soft cheek before whispering my acknowledgement and gushing some more about how much she meant to me.

Then the superiors came, practically dragging me away. I barely had time to grab the green blanket Gramma had knitted for me. I didn't bring anything else, because they said there were clothes and anything else I may need already there.

•••

I was being escorted by two nameless superiors, both male, both as cold and indifferent as Starsky had been to my plight. They were on either side of me, each of my triceps wrapped within the grasp of their firm, cold, evil hands. They didn't care that they were dragging me, powerlessly, to be forced to mate with a stranger.

Anxiety built as soon as we neared the compound's exit. I'd never in my life been outside, and since I'd calmed down from my initial shock and failed attempt at escaping, I was starting to feel pretty darn scared. I was like a caged mouse being snatched up by someone, knowing her fate was to be thrown to a hungry snake.

The door slid upward and the night air rushed upon me. It wasn't like the breeze I felt from my window. This air was surrounding me, rather than blowing lightly through the small spaces of the bars. The moans of the deaders carried with the wind, low and menacing. They could probably smell me, wherever they were. If I could have, I'd have ran back inside in an instant, be glad to be safely locked in with my family, but those days were over. I knew that as sure as I knew my nose was on my face. There was a great possibility that I would never see them again.

The wind chilled my face where moist tears had fallen. The vehicle was waiting there to take me to my doom. I can't describe it in any greater detail than to merely say it had wheels and it was black - I don't know much about vehicles. The superiors tossed me in it, like I was a child's discarded toy, and I bumped against someone inside with a loud, "oof!"

"Hey, easy." A voice I didn't recognize said.

One of the superiors shut the door and I skittered to the side, leaning against it, to face my companion on this fateful journey. It took me a moment to recognize him, and another moment to remember his name.

"Dusty?" I guessed.

"Harper? Wow! What luck." He brightened.

"We have to get out of here." I whispered, hoping the glass or whatever was in front of us, keeping the drivers separate, was sound proof, since I now knew exactly how well the superiors could hear.