The streets were less crowded today. The kids all seemed to be in hiding, and the number of guards patrolling was less than normal. It reminded me of when the world almost ended all those years ago. Walking in silence with these two made me nervous. Lacus is never quiet, yet he hadn't said a word to me. Trying to break up the awkwardness, I asked, "Why is it so empty out here?"
Lacus shrugged his shoulders. "We're preparing for war against the livestock. Everyone is busy with that. The Japanese Imperial Demon Army is a pain." Of the guards that were out here, they would keep their heads down as we passed.
"What's so great about the demon army?" I asked. That name had been brought up a lot, but I didn't know much about it. It sounded more serious than a regular army, but what hope do the humans have against the vampires?
Rene sighed. "They're impertinent humans who have dappled in magic they do not understand. That being said, they are resilient, and some can hold their own against us," he answered, refusing to even cast a glance in my direction. The two of them didn't dislike me, but only associated when they were ordered to.
Magic? Does that mean the demon in their name really means demons? From the books in Nagoya, I had read about some dark magic that would let a user control a demon. It seemed very hard to actually use in practice, as the demon sometimes won out and took over the host. If these humans have that kind of power… they might have a chance at defeating the vampires.
"Don't look so concerned, Karina!" Lacus said, loudly with his signature grin. "You're strong enough to kill any of them if you tired." He and Rene knew a lot about my vampire powers since they had been assigned to keep an eye on me most of the time. More than once, Lacus had tried to coax out that side of me.
Turning my gaze away, I mumbled, "I don't kill people." It doesn't matter if they're humans and they're supposed to be beneath us.
"One day, you won't have a choice," Rene replied.
It's annoying when others say that to me. It's a choice I plan to keep. Killing didn't feel right to me, whether it be a human or a vampire. The doctors say that is the human in me, but I know better. If my vampire side is in control, who knows what will happen. Could I even control my bloodlust? What if I were to hurt someone I care about?
The building we were going to had many levels, but the sublevels were for me and the others similar to me. Only hesitating one step at the front door, Lacus and Rene both latched onto one of my arms to keep me moving. There had been many times they had to drag me inside. The elevator doors slid open at sublevel 4. "We'll return for you later," Rene said, never showing any kind of emotion. Not many vampires did.
Lacus pushed me forward. The only way in and out of this floor was the elevator that they occupied. "The more useful that you are, the less time you'll spend here!" He grinned, like he knew something I didn't.
The head doctor, Dr. Maroh of the experiments waited at the desk. "This way, Karina Eusford." He shouldn't be labeled a doctor, more like a mad scientist. Each time I'd been brought here, he would poke and prod relentlessly. He's a master at finding ways to torture me. "Change here and come directly to lab 12." He held the door open to a large locker room.
The door hit the frame with a loud thud, making me jump. All alone in this cold room, I shivered. The camera in the corner was hard to ignore with its blinking red light, a constant reminder that someone was watching me. The locker with the numbers 235 written on a white label opened with a loud, metallic screech. Only recently had Dr. Maroh started calling me by my name instead of my experiment number.
Inside, the usual uniform lay folded in the locker, black scrubs. Even after doing this over and over, having to change with that camera on made me feel uncomfortable. I shielded my body as best I could, and then took my hair down to fix it into a single fishtail braid. This process had been engrained into my memory. The floor felt cold on my bare feet as I exited the locker room and headed to lab twelve.
This entire floor was massive, and I knew that the only way in or out was through that elevator. Many times had I tried to escape and never found another exit. The doors to lab twelve slid open when the sensor activated. There were four other doctors and scientist in the room besides the head doctor. He had an icy stare. "Sit," Dr. Maroh instructed, motioning to the hospital bed in the center of the room. He adjusted his glasses and picked up a large syringe. "I need to check your white blood cell count, first." He took the vials and left.
Another doctor hooked up a machine to me, to run my other vitals. My heartrate was faster than normal, due to being extremely anxious having to be down here again. These were all vampires. I'd never met a human doctor before. It made me wonder if human doctors would conduct these kinds of experiments. Gulping down my fear, I hesitantly asked, "Why are the white blood cells important?"
Doctor Reiss, as the nametag read, had to be new. He looked younger than the others, but what is young in vampire years? He pumped up the blood pressure cuff, smiling at me. No one ever smiles at me. "You mean you don't know?"
I shook my head. "No one ever tells me anything."
He nodded his head, like he understood. "Well, let me see…" He watched to cuff deflate and wrote down some numbers on the clipboard. "What's the easiest way to explain it?" He hummed to himself a little. "In the human body, there are white blood cells and red blood cells, right?"
"Um, okay?" I haven't studied human anatomy very much.
Doctor Reiss brushed his hand through his black hair. "Put simply, red blood cells carry oxygen to and from the heart," he said, tapping his finger above my heart. "White blood cells are for immunity and fighting off foreign invaders in the human body. Do you understand so far?" He waited for me to process the information.
"Red blood cells keep the human body alive. White blood cells keep the human body healthy."
"Right! Dr. Maroh's research is to create a host body that houses both human qualities and vampire qualities, hoping to mesh the two creatures together to make a stronger being all together. Most of his work has been unsuccessful, until you came along! You're our 1%, Karina. Special and unique," Doctor Reiss said, scribbling some more notes on his clipboard.
I chewed on my lip. Special? Neither species wants me. That makes me an outcast. "But, how was I successful?"
"Oh, right! Well, red blood cells had been our first experiment, but it ended up turning the host fully vampire or killing them entirely. The second phase worked with the white blood cells, but nothing worked. Injecting vampire DNA into the body had resulted in grotesque failures," he replied, pausing as he thought about it. "But with you, we took a pregnant human, while you were still in the early phases of development, and injected vampire DNA directly into the nucleus of the a few white blood cells."
"My father's DNA?" I asked. Then, I was conceived through normal human reproduction and altered while in the womb. This experiment seemed to have a lot of failures. As far as I know, I'm the only successful one in existence. It's strange because I've met some of the full vampires that were kept here in the building.
Doctor Reiss grinned at me, like he found me amusing. "That's right. Lord Crowley had a part in this experiment as well because Lord Ferid asked him to do it. We are still unsure which part of experiment made you successful. Your body has human red blood cells, which is what makes your heart beat and attributes to your organs working almost like a normal human. While your white blood cells have vampire DNA that slows your aging down, and one day you'll stop, becoming immortal like the rest of us."
Of course, Ferid had something to do with this. He's always making others suffer for his amusement. What's the goal of having a half vampire, anyways? I suppressed my vampire side, only drinking blood because it helped keep that side at bay. "Then why is Doctor Maroh so keen on torturing me when I'm here?" If I'm so important, why do I have endure all this torment?
"That's because you're suppressing your vampire nature. Under extreme circumstances, you utilize your white blood cells, creating more than the normal amount of a human. It gives you extraordinary vampire powers, stronger than most nobles have. We want you to be able to bring that side of you out for all vampire's benefits. Think of it, Karina! You could end the war with the humans and bring peace to all of Japan! Maybe even the whole world!" Doctor Reiss exclaimed, excitement bubbling up. He's a strange vampire.
Doctor Maroh entered the room again, a frown on his face again. "Karina, come with me. Your count is low. I need to increase it," he ordered, seizing my arm. This happens every time. They want me to be a vampire, but more powerful.
He'd dragged me down the hall and put me in a locked room before I could properly protest. This room was bare, only having a small bed, one bookshelf with a few old books, and a toilet in the corner opposite the door. This room brought back bad memories. There's only one reason he brought me here. To starve me. No blood. No food. The door was heavy steel, making it impossible to break down as I am. The lights were turned out, leaving me in pitch darkness. I slid down to the floor, holding my knees to my chest. Tears pooled in my eyes. I hate being an experiment.
How long will they make stay in here this time?