The Walkers (Twilight Fan Fiction)

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

After reading the first page of one of the books Nora had pulled, I realized they were more than just books. Each and every one of the giant tomes contained a large amount of the Walkers’ history, dating back almost seven hundred years. Some were bound in leather, some in thick fabric clasped with intricate clasps and hinges made of a hard metal, probably steel or brass. They looked old, worn in a way that made it obvious that they had been used for years.

None of the ancient texts were in English, but luckily, Nora had translated everything into a smaller, condensed version, which I flipped through for reference. However, my inability to understand the language didn’t stop me from pouring over the ancient manuscripts with wide, intrigued eyes. The pages were made of a thick, hard material—too dense to be paper—that made a terrible crackling noise each time I turned one of them.

The first tome, which Nora had appropriately called “Genesis,” was large, crusty, and frankly, it was boring. The story of Oren and his mother Aednat had been so exciting when I had heard it from Collin. Reading it in text form made the tale seem dull. It felt as if I were reading a textbook, which all things considered, I guess I was. Still, as I read Nora’s translation, I just couldn’t get into the story anymore. I already knew everything there was to know: Aednat drank vampire venom, which turned Oren into the first Walker, and she was killed by the same vampire that helped her.

I sighed and leaned back in the chair I’d been sitting in for the last hour. My back was starting to bother me, so I stood up and paced the length of the third floor. Downstairs, I could hear people coming and leaving the store, as well as Nora chitchatting with the customers. 

As I made my way to the balcony, which overlooked the entire bottom floor, I peered over. Nora was flitting back and forth behind an elderly woman, pointing out books on travel and tourism. It was interesting to watch. Nora was a vampire; she fed on human blood. She didn’t have to kill anyone to get that blood, but it was human blood all the same. Still, the way she moved around the humans was effortless. I could easily see how I hadn’t realized she was a vampire.

I glanced behind me and noticed a small, white refrigerator nestled in a corner. It was strange. Why would Nora need a fridge up on the third floor? Why would she need a fridge in general? She didn’t eat or drink, and I was sure that running a bookstore didn’t require one. Without considering if I should or not, I crossed over and opened the door.

I froze.

The inside of the fridge was lined with bags of blood. Human blood. Nausea overwhelmed me, and I gripped the door to keep my balance when I started to sway. It was like a scene straight from a horror movie. The young victim stumbles into the monster’s den and discovers their horde of blood. Why on earth would Nora keep something like this in the store? I lowered my eyes and found my answer. Just below the bags were three huge jars of a clear liquid. I swallowed heavily, realizing what I was looking at.

Nora’s venom. She traded with the Walkers. Blood for venom. The fridge had to be where she stored it.

I jumped as I heard someone clear their throat behind me, and I turned to find Nora standing in the doorway. I felt ashamed for snooping through something I was obviously not meant to see, but she didn’t say anything. She merely closed the fridge, redirected me to the table, and insisted that I keep reading.

Not wanting to get into anymore trouble, I focused on the book, as well as the translated text that Nora had provided me, and I tried to dive back into it. Unfortunately, the dull quality of the subject made me tired, and I started suppressing yawns.  The last time I had been this bored, while studying, had been in Phoenix, when I had researched tax law for an assignment in my Government class. The material had been so dry and dull that I had actually fallen asleep in the library while researching it. As I stared down at The Third Treaty, I caught my vision starting to blur and my eyes starting to close, but I continued reading.