Chapter 36
Caleb rushed into the cave first with Alice and Delilah just behind him.
"Chris!" he called out, prompting the young man to scream out loud and crawl deeper into the back of the cave than he had been originally.
"It's okay," Alice piggybacked, putting her hands up, "Caleb step back. Give him room."
"It's just me," Caleb pleaded with his friend.
Chris's whole body shook. He stood up halfway, unable to ball his fists from the fear. Still, he held his hands up in the most combative way possible and stared at his friend.
"What... what is this?" he asked, voice trembling, "Who..."
"Come with us," Delilah urged, stepping forward.
Chris jumped back a foot and crouched down, "Stay back."
"Chris," Alice stepped forward, partially wishing she had brought Jasper for his ability to alter one's mood. On the same note, she recognized that his presence may have scared the young human farther back into the corner. "We're not going to hurt you. Please tell us what happened."
His eyes were widened and he stared at her, seeming to be studying her features.
"You... you're different," he stuttered, "You all are. What are you?"
Alice and Caleb exchanged a glance.
"Oh... God." Chris shook and dry heaved before eventually vomiting in the corner.
"It's okay," Caleb assured him again, striding toward him.
"Stay back!" he ordered.
"Okay." He stopped abruptly and put his hands up. "Alright."
A silence fell over them and Chris spit, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He stared at the three of them for a moment before Alice recognized that he felt just slightly less threatened by his posture.
"We know you've been through a lot," she told him, "We saw the news. Your father came to the house."
"My Dad?" his eyes lit up.
"He's fine," Alice lied, knowing his father was being rushed to the hospital. On the other hand, she saw the outcome being successful. "Caleb's dad is... actually bringing him to the hospital now."
"What!" Chris straightened up, seeming to come alive for the first time.
"He was worried about you to the point where he's had a minor... heart attack."
Tears filled the boys eyes and his jaw tightened. Alice could see he was about to break down.
"But he's going to be okay, Chris."
"How do you know?"
"She can see the future," Caleb blurted out. He glanced at Alice who gave him a look.
Too much was being thrown at Chris too quickly. He didn't know how to process all the information, and he didn't know what to believe.
"What are you talking about?" His eyes remained hard and his voice was shaking. Sweat coated the front of his forehead, damping the hair that laid across it.
"You were right," Alice told him, "We... aren't what we say we are."
Chris stared into her golden eyes, eying her features again, taking in every inch of her marble face that seemed to glow in the darkness.
"That's why you have to tell us what happened," she urged, "So we can help you... and your friends."
He breathed in heavily several times, heaving his chest up and down before he closed his eyes for a moment as he spoke. "My dad..." he said.
"He's on his way to the hospital now," Alice repeated, "Caleb's dad is taking him there."
"Who is Caleb's dad?" He thought for a moment, "Dr. Cullen?"
Caleb looked at Alice as if for permission. When she nodded, he looked at his friend and did the same. "Yeah."
"I thought he was your uncle," Chris said, "I mean... how old are you? How old is he? He can't be your dad."
"I'll... explain that," Caleb said.
"You just need to tell us what you saw first," Alice said, "And then I promise we'll clear all of this up."
Chris bit his bottom lip and hesitated before going on. "Someone came in when we were having a meeting." He breathed in once through his nose. "He looked about our age."
Delilah linked her arm through Caleb's and they both glanced at Alice.
"He... took them," he explained, "Like the way that guy took you." Chris shook his head, "What the hell happened to you, Caleb? Who was that guy? Who was the guy who... " He paused again, "He bit them. He bit Mary... he took Donny."
"Did he bite him too?" Alice asked.
Chris nodded once and looked down, beginning to shake again. "They started screaming and their bodies shook. I thought he was going to get me next but he carried them away and left."
"He wasn't the same guy that took me?" Caleb asked.
He shook his head. "No... much younger," he explained again, "Our age. Dark hair..." Chris swallowed hard, "Red eyes. Fast... faster than anyone I've ever seen. I tried to move and he was there... like a blur. It wasn't right." He slumped down into a seated position and rested his elbows on his knees. "Did that happen to you Caleb?"
He sighed and, again, looked to Alice for approval.
"No," she said for him, "That didn't happen to Caleb."
Chris looked at her.
"But it did happen to me... a long, long time ago."
He stared at her, eyes wide and bottom lip hanging open.
"I'm a vampire, Chris," Alice told him, "But I'm not the kind of vampire that came in here and took your friends." She looked him in the eye, "That was Vincent. He's a young, power hungry vampire who is trying to bring our family down."
"What are you, Caleb?" Chris asked his friend. "Your eyes... they look like-" He raised an arm and pointed to Alice, and then made brief eye contact with Delilah.
"I'm a vampire, too," he confessed, "Only I was born... not bitten."
"So... your dad then?"
"My dad, Dr. Cullen-"
"He's with my dad." Fear filled Chris's face.
"Carlisle's been alive for three hundred years," Alice said, "Give or take... and he's never killed a human being."
Chris stared at her in disbelief, and then let out a mad laugh. It was no secret that he wasn't amused, but he was beginning to think he was losing his mind.
"This is a dream," he said to himself, "Or a sick joke. I can't tell which."
"I wish I could tell you that it was," Alice told him, "But... this is reality."
"I want to see my dad," Chris said, "If he's okay like you say then..."
"He's okay," Caleb said reassuringly.
"I was proof," he demanded harshly. "I want proof that he's alive."
"Okay," Alice agreed with a nod. "We'll bring you to the hospital."
He shook his head, still in fear.
"Chris," Caleb said, "We don't feed on the blood of humans."
"Animals," Delilah finally chimed in, allowing the two of them to do most of the explaining, "We hunt animals and drink their blood to live."
"We don't hurt anybody," Alice added, "But others, like Vincent... they're dangerous to humans. He has an agenda." She looked at him and sighed, "We'll take you to your father... but we have to figure out a cover story for what happened in here."
"We need to find Mary and Donny."
"We will," Alice said, "But if you go talking about vampires they're going to think something's wrong with you. We'll disappear and you'll never get closure with your friends."
"We can try to save them," Caleb explained.
"Are they still alive?" Chris asked.
Alice nodded, "Several members of the community have been killed. They're most likely with Vincent. We need to stop them before they kill more people."
"They?" he asked, "You mean... Mary and Donny... they've k-" He didn't finish his sentence. "Are they... vampires? Can they be changed back?"
Alice approached him, and Chris jumped back but she stayed close, kneeling beside him. She reached a hand and gently placed it on his shoulder. "I promise you, Chris. I will explain all of this to you. We'll do our best to save your friends and to save more humans from being killed."
He stared into her eyes, shaking more fiercely now.
"We will never hurt you. That is something I can guarantee."
"Even if I told the truth?"
Alice nodded without hesitation. "Even then. It would put us all in a difficult situation... and in a lot of danger with the authorities in our world. But, no, we would never hold you accountable for that. No one should have to see what you saw, or go through this... but if there's one thing to be lucky about, it's that you're still human." She half smiled and backed away to give him space. "Now... you've been reported missing for several days now. Can you help us come up with a fake story or not?"