Finn
"Kill them all."
In the speck of time that follows the vampire's command, the world blurs. Within me, the withering ribbons of humanity shudder, curling in on themselves to make way for an unfamiliar, heavy darkness. It seeps through my being, blotting out my consciousness like overzealous ink to parchment.
Whether it's the threat in and of itself, or the threat to the safety of Douglas and myself, it triggers the half me which Mr. Primary refers to as 'the demon.'
I become a monster.
There's no anger. No fury. There's no emotion. It's merely a primal instinct to fight the threat. To win and conquer.
I lower to my haunches, hissing and mentally capturing the movements of our enemies. The Secondary guards raise their weapons, poised for attack. Douglas lets out a labored breath beside me. Despite years of training, he is the weaker species. No amount of training could equip him for this type of battlefield.
A battlefield where the enemy is a species I was told was extinct.
Douglas attempts to move in front of me and shields my body with his own. I swiftly move in front of him, just in time to catch a vampire running straight towards him. Our bodies collide. Sharp nails claw at my smooth skin. He's not trying to attack me; he's trying to get out of my grasp to join the frays of battle.
I have not been trained on the art of killing a vampire. My limits have never been tested. I merely act on instinct. As the male vampire writhes beneath me, strength jolts through my body, each voltage more powerful than the last. I feel it multiplying on itself. There's ice in my veins, and it splinters outward. The vampire is like a block of cement. His strength is challenging, but he's no match.
Fangs pierce through my gums. They grow and slip over my lips, three times the size of the vampire being held hostage to my strength. His dark eyes widen in confusion and fear. I'm a Secondary. My fangs should not look like this.
"No," he growls, shaking his head. "I'm not the enemy. I'm – "
Instinct pushes me towards his neck. I sink my fangs into his tough skin until they pierce a crystalized vein. Rather than consume him, my fangs pulse my own breed of venom into his body. I feel it work its way through his system, poisoning him from the inside out. His capillaries burst, his heart decays, and the neurons in his brain pop, pop pop.
The fight in him dissolves, just as his immortality.
A glossy sheen falls in front of his vacant eyes. I push away and bare my teeth to the remaining enemies, diving towards the next. I feel every second that passes as I work through one after another. My movements are a blur. Time itself seems to slow to my cause. The need to win consumes my being. When I spin away from another lifeless immortal, my humanity sparks. It pleads with me to pause.
The earth below us weeps for the loss, the blood of friends and foes alike soiling her canvas. Death is everywhere. It coats the air, and I taste it along my tongue. Most of the Secondary guards have met their untimely endings. Most of the vampires have, too, all by my hand.
Only two Secondary guards remain, one of them being Douglas. They stand back to back as they face the four, remaining vampires. Their weapons are lifted, and they move in a slow circle, ready to fight despite the odds.
One of the four vampires is their leader. His eyes aren't on them, though. They're on me. He watches me with awe and frustration. I snarl in his direction.
"Touch him," I say, nodding to Douglas, "and the rest of you will die by my hand."
The vampire leader considers my demand before glancing to the other Secondary guard. "And him?"
Douglas tries to mask a pleading look. He wishes for me to extend my protection to the other guard as well. Douglas is trained to protect me. I know, without a shred of doubt, he will stand beside me. The other Secondary serves Mr. Primary; I can't trust him.
"Do with him what you will," is my response.
Two vampires box in the Secondary guard, while a third tugs Douglas away. He doesn't put up a fight but curses under his breath as he makes his way over to me. It's an effort to trudge through the mess. Guts and drying blood coat his boots, weighing him down like carnage cement. He shudders, his emotions too muddled and overpowering for me to differentiate.
It's only when Douglas takes his place beside me that the vampire leader approaches. Each step is cautious, as if he's closing in on feral animals. The beast within me slowly recedes, and the ribbons of humanity flutter back to life. I refuse to let those ribbons bear witness to the destruction I have caused.
The vampire studies the bloodshed. His expression is grim, yet the flicker of surprise remains in the depths of his eyes. He shakes his head when he gets within arm's reach and purses his lips.
"They didn't warn me that you were as deadly as an immortal as you were a human."
I jerk my chin in his direction. What is he talking about? I pick apart the sentence. I know so little about my life before...this. Does he speak true? Was I a monster in my prior form as well? I tuck away the bits of knowledge, promising myself to address it with Douglas – later.
"Rookie mistake on my part," the vampire continues when neither of us responds. "I should have been better prepared."
The Secondary guard left to fend for himself lets out a grunt of pain behind us. A gurgling noise follows, and fresh blood is no doubt being spilled. I expect to hear his body hit the bloodied ground beneath us. Instead, the vampires assigned to take him down join us, allowing the Secondary guard to limp away. Broken but free.
Just before he moves out of eyesight, he spares a glance to us over his shoulder. Hatred, fury and fear blaze in the depths of his light eyes. If he were human, he would not make it back alive. As a Secondary, he has a chance.
"You let him go," I say.
The vampire shrugs. "I had hoped to send Mr. Primary a message directly from me. But this...this sends a more powerful message. It speaks to our intentions while proving our power. Far more effective."
Another riddle and another play on words I don't understand. I stow away this clue away as well, tearing my gaze away from him to study three, remaining vampires flanking his sides. Blood cakes their lips, fingers, and limbs. A feast and a slaughter, all in one. The one nearest the back nudges the only female vampire remaining, muttering under his breath how the taste of Secondaries' blood is 'acidic and bitter.'
"I do believe introductions are in order," the vampire leader says, giving me a coy smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "I am the leader of The Force, Gabriel."
The Force?
Yet another foreign phrase. Douglas grunts under his breath. In disgust? Recognition? Perhaps he knows about this 'Force.' A third piece to add to the jumbled puzzle. Gabriel points to the three vampires surrounding him, nodding to them in-turn.
"Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Fawn."
The three vampires nod towards us and offer slight bows to show their silent respect. For what, I cannot possibly imagine. My eyes dance among them. Ezekiel's dark skin stretches across broad shoulders and rippling muscles. His dark eyes and full lips are a contrast to his strong jaw and chiseled cheekbones. Despite him being the enemy, I must admit, he is a beautiful immortal.
He dwarfs the other two in size – Isaiah and Fawn. Studying their similar, slender frames and bone structure, I'd wager they're related. Siblings, maybe. Their waxy, blonde hair flutters and whips against the wind, slapping their porcelain faces and catching on bits of drying blood.
"Based on recent events," I say evenly, "I assume no introductions are needed on my end."
Gabriel's smirk turns malevolent. He's entertained by my sardonic rebuttal, though it's not said for his amusement. Without breaking his focus, he nods to Douglas.
"And your companion?"
"My guard, Douglas."
I don't see how such information can be used against me, so the truth easily rolls off my tongue. Douglas rolls his shoulders back, pride in his posture as he stands shoulder to shoulder with me. He bids Gabriel a clipped nod. Even that gesture is more than the vampires deserve. They've killed many of our guards. Then again, the monster within me has killed many of their kind, as well.
Gabriel folds his hands in front of his face and studies the slaughtered men and women at his feet. If he is affected by the loss of his fellow vampires, it doesn't show.
"This certainly isn't the outcome I expected. If your allegiance is with us, though...this is a good sign. A good sign indeed."
My eyebrows arch. "My allegiance?"
Gabriel purses his lips and shakes his head. "Another conversation for another day. My task was to procure and deliver you – alive. Our lookout has no doubt already shared this turn of events to the group waiting at the rendezvous point. I'm sure they're quite eager to see you."
I open my mouth to question who exactly is waiting for me, but he's already waving at us to follow him. He instructs his crew of vampires to 'keep close.' They form a small circle around us, and I ask for Douglas to get on my back so that I may carry him. His light brown cheeks warm with shame. His role is to protect me, not the other way around. What he doesn't realize is that I need him with me. Even if he is not my physical shield, his presence keeps my monster at bay. He protects my humanity.
Gabriel slips into the shrubbery. I could attempt to escape, but with Douglas on my back, we would be caught. My odds of protecting Douglas while taking down the four of them are slim. I tighten my hold on Douglas and follow a step behind. None of us turns around to witness the massacre we've left behind.
Our swift feet travel across miles of solid earth. Fresh air replaces the scent of death and decay. After many miles, Douglas relaxes against me. His mouth moves close to my ear, and just above a whisper, he expresses his gratitude.
"I owe you my life," he says, pained. "Thank you."
A faint smile slips across my lips, but it fades just as quickly. The group of us slows as we reach a clearing. A small cottage sits tucked away, nestled among the tall trees and foliage. Gabriel tells the other members of The Force to sweep the area and ensure we haven't been spotted or followed.
As we wait, I watch for movements from within the house. I spot a woman and a man, and –
My limbs tingle. A third man gracefully slips past the window. I watch his every movement, entranced. Once again, my blood sizzles to life, burning with the same icy fire as before. He's the man Tegan wanted me to find.
The hooded man from the public outing.