Chapter Four
"None of that, now." The revenant's voice was wet and
gravelly, but with a cultured edge that somehow made it all the worse. This was
no "Night of the Living Dead" mindless monster, but a thinking, planning
creature. "Master says you must be brought back to him intact, but he didn't
say anything at all about still breathing. Be a nice little Renfield and come
quietly." A knowing smile spread unevenly across his dead face. "You know
you want to."
"You don't know anything about me!" He didn't.
She was sick, that's all. Infected. Nothing at all like this diseased
monstrosity in front of her. Over his shoulder she could see Jack toss the
second revenant across the room to crash into the glass bookshelves there. It
got to its feet with no grace but an alarming amount of speed. Jack snarled,
exposing sharp white fangs, then launched himself at the monster.
Monster? Who was the monster? Revenants had no say in what
they were. In fact, they had been created to defend humanity. Defend it from the
leeches that preyed on innocent humans. Vampires were the true monsters. Killing
for food. For sport. They had forced the Church to create the
revenants, hadn't they? She smiled as the revenant caught the vampire in mid
air and slammed him down through the coffee table. Wood shards flew everywhere.
Had it been enough? No, the monster was stirring, infernal eyes glowing.
"Yes." A cold hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Now
you see, little sister."
She did. Her hands clenched into claws, eager to rend and
tear. She took a step forward, her stomach growling. Growling? That was strange.
She'd just eaten, hadn't she? Halfway across the room the revenant slashed
across the vampire's abdomen and blood flew. Her stomach contracted painfully
at the sight. Confused, she looked down at her own belly. Was she ill? An
instant later something slammed into her, throwing her to the floor.
"Natalie, are you all right?" The weight disappeared
and a second later there was the sound of breaking glass. "Why are you still
here?"
Natalie, are you all right? Nick's face, swimming
up through the confusion in her mind. Nick, so warm and kind. How many times had
he said those words? And now Jack, who she hadn't even known a day ago. Both
vampires. Both…monsters?
"No. I mean, yes, I'm okay, Jack." She
shuddered, wanting to cry, vomit, and scream all at the same time. What was
happening to her?
"Then get out of here. I can't protect you. Get to
sunlight. To people." The vampire she'd so loathed a moment ago was still
apparent in his face, but the words were ones of warm concern. He was trying to
protect her. Natalie struggled to her feet, her mind reeling. She tried to cry
out a warning, but couldn't make her voice work as the revenant who'd
attacked him grabbed Jack and swung him around. "Go!" he cried out. Then
both were flying across the room and she was alone.
Almost. The revenant who had spoken to her before now
gripped her arm. "Time to go, dearie. Amos will be done with the boy before
long, but my master is very eager to meet you. Shall we?" He pulled on her
arm, half-dragging her toward the kitchen. She let him take her halfway across
the large kitchen before she reached out and grabbed hold of the stainless steel
island in the center of the room.
"I'm not going anywhere with you." Horrible, alien
thoughts still swam thought her head, but Natalie knew that they weren't hers.
The revenant pulled with more force and she bit back a cry as her torn shoulder
protested, but she didn't let go. He bared his teeth in a gesture of
frustration and she had a second to wonder how she could ever have felt kinship
with the thing before she was thrown against the sink countertop. Porcelain bit
painfully into her side and she struggled to take a breath.
"I beg to differ. It's good to see a girl with spunk,
but this has gone on too long." He ducked and the ceramic bowl she'd thrown
at him went harmlessly over his head. "Time to go, Renfield."
"Stop calling me that!" She threw everything on the
countertop at the thing, but it kept coming. Natalie found herself backed into a
corner as the revenant slowly approached. It was a little wary now, and seemed
to be keeping a close eye on her right hand--her throwing hand. Resting that
hand on the counter where he could see it, Natalie opened a drawer at random and
pawed through it frantically. A flamethrower would be too much to ask for, but a
meat cleaver would be nice. "You know, I'm just the sort of person to carve
up a dead guy like you," she warned, gesturing at him with her right hand. Her
left hand identified a screwdriver, rubber bands, a small tin of some liquid, a
pair of scissors, a lighter. Wait a minute. Back up. Hazy memories of her
grandfather. He'd smoked cigars, and used a lighter like this one. The tin
felt familiar, too. Grandfather had used something like it, warning her to stay
away while he filled his lighter. His lighter. Lighter fluid!
Trying to keep her expression terrified, Natalie struggled
to pop the top off the canister of what she prayed was lighter fluid. Vampires
could be hurt by fire, and Nick, at least, had shown some aversion to it even
when not directly threatened. Even if there wasn't enough to do the revenant
serious injury, there might be enough to distract it long enough for her to make
it out the rear door. The kitchen opened into the homes' backyard. She was
willing to bet she could still scale a six foot fence, given enough incentive,
and nothing beat a shambling zombie when it came to incentive. She got a little
fluid onto her fingers, but at last the tin was open. Trying to hold it upright,
Natalie scooped up the lighter as well with a little difficulty. There was a
loud thud from the next room, and then silence.
"There, you see? It's done. Now come along, Renfield."
He extended one pale, mottled hand. Natalie reached out with her right as if to
take his. His gaze shifted downward just a little. Saying a quick prayer, Nat
swung her left hand up and around and squeezed.
It couldn't have gone any better. The beginning of the
stream caught his extended hand and arm, then spattered onto his chest. Her left
arm arched upward, and the rest of the fluid shot directly onto his face and
hair. He clawed at his eyes, mostly in surprise, she thought. The hands came
down almost immediately and he glowered at her hatefully. He opened his mouth
and she struck the flint of the lighter. Bringing her arm back down, Natalie
tossed the lighter at the revenant.
The fluid caught with an almost soundless whoosh of
rushing air and the revenant screamed, staggering backward and slapping wildly
at the growing flames. The movement only made the fire grow more quickly. In an
instant he was a torch, arms waving wildly about his head as he careened blindly
around the room, shrieking.
"Natalie!"
It was Jack, standing in the doorway to the living room. He
looked he'd been on the losing end of a fight with a threshing machine, but
smiled reassuringly as he gestured for her to join him. Taking one longing
glance at the back door, Natalie edged carefully around the revenant and joined
him. Together they watched as the revenant fell to its knees, keening softly. A
moment later it fell forward and lay still on the tile floor.
"Come on." Taking her hand, Jack pulled her gently down
the hall into the master bedroom. "The cops'll be here any minute."
Releasing her hand, he opened the closet door and shoved aside a rack of neatly
pressed suits. "George is going to be so pissed. Want to bet he never leaves
me his key again?" Not waiting for an answer, he knelt and felt around on the
thick shag carpet. There was a muted click, and part of the closet floor lifted
upward. Jack pulled it up the rest of the way, revealing a dimly-lit passageway,
complete with ladder. "You first."
Natalie looked doubtfully into the hole. The light from the
room lit only the first six feet or so of the passage. Going down that ladder
would be like descending into a strange (and possibly dangerous) cave.
"It's okay. This is George's bolt hole. It'll open
up into the sewers. I think."
"You think? That's not very reassuring." Holding onto
the door frame, Natalie stepped gingerly onto the first rung of the ladder. It
held her weight without shifting, and she began to descend it, hoping that she
was doing the right thing.
"Well, George and I never got around to the details."
He waited until she was down several feet and then stepped onto the ladder
himself. The darkness around her was close and stale. A few more steps down and
Jack pulled the door down behind them and the darkness was complete.
"Jack!"
"It's okay. Any second now…" he paused, and dim
lights appeared along the wall of the tunnel at regular intervals. "Thought
so. George doesn't like the dark very much."
"A vampire who doesn't like the dark?" Anything to
keep her mind off what had just happened, and what was still happening. Though
the revenant was gone, the hungry, restless thoughts still prowled through her
mind, telling her that she was a fool to trust the vampire, any vampire. Which
was crazy. Some vampires could be trusted. Nick, for one. Nick would never do
anything to harm her. She was sure of it.
"Even we need a little light to see," Jack explained.
"We're as blind as you are in pitch black. One reason why I've never
understood why some guys like crypts and coffins. Yuck." The easy, casual
discussion soothed her frayed nerves. "George got locked in somebody's crypt
for a week. No light, no sound. He's been a little spooked ever since. So I
kind of figured that even his emergency exit would be well lit."
"Well, I wouldn't go that far." The light was
reassuring, but not much more than that. She could see only a few feet past her
shoes, and could barely make out Jack's face above her.
"That's because you don't have our eyes. To me, this
is as bright as day." He chuckled. "Well, not that bright. Hasn't struck
me blind yet. You'd better slow down. We should be coming to the sewer pipe
soon."
"I think I can smell it." Dank, slightly foul-smelling
air drifted upward toward her. In the silence Nat could hear the trickle of
water. "Not the way he usually travels, I take it." The suits in the closet
had been of the thousand dollar variety.
"Nope. This is strictly an emergency affair. For when
they guys with the torches and pitchforks come calling."
Her foot sought the next rung and found only air. "I
think this is it."
"The floor is only about five feet below. Think you can
drop that far, or do you want a hand?"
Dropping into blackness and landing on unforgiving cement
was more that her poor body could take at the moment, Natalie knew. She'd
gotten their vile thoughts, but apparently not their strength or immunity to
pain. Like just wasn't fair, sometimes. "I'm not sure that's a good idea
right now. Would you mind?"
"Catching the fair maiden? Not a chance." Nat felt the
rush of air on her back at Jack let go of the rungs and dropped past her to the
cement below. Her ears barely caught the sound of his quiet landing. "Just let
go. I'll catch you."
Before her mind had a chance to object her body took over
and let go of the rungs. A brief rush of cool air and Natalie felt cool, strong
arms around her. He set her carefully on her feet and then stepped away, looking
up and down the narrow corridor while she adjusted her clothes and patted vainly
at her tangled hair.
"This looks like part of the Danforth Street subsidiary.
If I remember right, going west should take us out near the High Park subway
station."
"And from there?" Run, her mind whispered. Run
to him. She knew now that it wasn't Nick that had been calling, but it no
longer seemed to matter.
"There's a hideout near there that should give us some
time. I need to find a safe place to put you, Nat. This fight has gotten way out
of your league."
"Hey, I'm in this fight, remember? And I've
done all right so far!" Anger rushed through her, and she couldn't have said
which part was hers and which the infection if her life had depended on it.
"Don't you dare talk to me like, like…" Nick, her traitorous mind
suggested. Nick, who tried so hard to keep dear sweet Natalie from knowing more
than she should. Nick knows best, Natalie. He'll keep you safe. And safely
ignorant.
"Easy, easy." Jack was looking at her warily. "I'm
not trying to talk down to you. But you're just, well, you're a mortal, Nat.
With a mortal's strength. Believe me, if you've got any suggestions on how
to cap these guys and find their master, I'm all ears."
"And who was it that said that strength is nothing?
I—oh, forget it." The anger disappeared as quickly as it had arrived and she
managed a faint smile. "Let's find this hideout of yours. And then we need
to talk."
###
The sewer pipe had gone from narrow to downright small, and
it was a relief to be able to stand upright again. Natalie stretched and took a
deep breath. She'd never thought she would find subway air pleasant, but after
the sewers it was like a breath of fresh spring air. Beside her, Jack was
looking around carefully. There were a couple of dozen people standing around
waiting for the next train, but no one seemed to be paying any particular
attention to them. He nodded, and gestured for her to follow him.
At the edge of the station Jack took another look around
and then jumped down into the tunnel. Carefully avoiding the tracks, he gestured
for her to follow. Too tired to object, Natalie did so, and was caught by the
waist and lowered easily to the ground. They walked a few paces and then Jack
stopped, frowning.
"It should be right here. Ah. Here it is." He reached
down and pulled an old metal ring. A heavy metal grating gave way, and he
leveraged it up high enough for her to slip beneath it. He followed a moment
later, letting the grating fall shut with a heavy metal clang.
They were in a narrow passageway that lead to an even
narrower doorway. Both looked decades old and unmaintained, but the door opened
soundlessly when Jack turned the knob. He poked his head in and then gestured
for her to follow him in.
The room was about ten foot square, with metal shelving
along one wall that had nearly rusted away completely and a wooden file cabinet
that she wouldn't have leaned against on a bet. Several old and ratty-looking
blankets lie crumpled on the stone floor, and on one of them an old man lay
shivering. Jack nodded to the old man and kicked some of the unused blankets
away, then gestured for Natalie to join him as he slid to the bare floor, his
back to the wall.
"It's okay. No one knows about this place but us. The
Community, I mean." Natalie nodded wearily and leaned against the wall,
letting it support her as she slid to the floor.
"What about him?" She nodded at the old man, who was
watching them with too-bright eyes.
"He's one of us."
The old man cackled. "Oh I am, so I am! Not that many
would claim membership in any club that I was a member of." He sniffed, and
when he smiled again there were fangs in it. "Say, boy. You got any to spare?
I haven't had anything so sweet since the summer of forty-nine. Or was it
fifty-two? I forget." He was looking at Jack with a mixture of hope and greed.
"Back off." Jack still looked entirely human, but the
warning was unmistakable. With a start Natalie realized that the old man
hadn't been asking for spare change.
"Okay, Okay. Be like that. Time was, everybody pulled
together. Now it's all me, me, me. Why, when I was…" Still muttering to
himself, the old man rolled over, pulling his collection of blankets tight
around his shoulders.
Jack saw her surprised expression and grinned. "Yeah,
we're not all handsome police detectives. Or even high-paid computer geeks."
"That's kind of reassuring, somehow. So this is a
vampire hideout?"
He nodded. "The closest one I could think of. I'm sure
there are nicer ones, but I haven't been in the city all that long. This ought
to keep us safe enough for a while. Though I'd feel better if I knew how they
found us at George's."
Natalie found herself rubbing at her inflamed neck wound
and made herself stop. "Could the Hunter have traced us through your computer?
I mean, he found you at your place, didn't he?"
"Well, somebody found me there. Whoever it was
didn't bother knocking, and after what I'd just seen on screen I wasn't in
the mood to go see for myself."
"Oh, Jack. All of your work," Natalie said
sympathetically.
"Maybe not. I had time to set the security protocols.
Anyone who tries to hack in will be in for an unpleasant surprise." He sighed.
"But, yeah, I'm looking at lots of down time if they just trashed the place.
Don't think that's how they found us, though."
"Why not?" The restlessness was getting stronger, as
was the feeling that Nick--or someone--needed her, was calling to her.
"I underestimated him once. But there's maybe a handful
of people in the world who are better at sneak than I am when I set my mind to
it, and even I couldn't have traced us in the time he had."
"Maybe he's better," she said lightly. He responded
to her light teasing with a smile of his own.
"Not a chance, he said modestly." Jack grinned. "I
may bite at social stuff, but when it comes to computers I'm about the best
there is. Though, speaking of that…" Something shifted in his eyes and then
was gone.
"You need to feed."
"Yeah. I'm okay right now, but I can't heal this kind
of damage without a little help." He leaned back against the wall and closed
his eyes. "And I have a bad feeling this is just getting started."
"Well, I'd offer, but…" She tried to make a joke of
it and failed. It would be ironic to survive two revenant attacks only to be
drained and killed by her 'rescuer.'
"Yeah, probably not a good idea right now. I'm just too
damned weak to have enough control. Be a poor repayment on Nick's friendship
to kill his girlfriend."
"And I wouldn't feel too good about it myself," Nat
added dryly. Something about what he'd just said had peaked her interest, but
she was too tired and confused to figure out what.
"Go figure. Anyway, don't worry about it. I've gone a
lot longer than this on low rations. Good thing George was so well stocked,
though. What we need to do is figure out what we're going to do next. You
sounded like you had some ideas."
"Actually, no," Nat admitted. "I just can't stand
the idea of being left out. Nick, well, let's just say I've been left in the
dark a lot. And this does concern me directly, you know." The infection
or whatever it was, was growing worse. And she was rubbing at her neck again.
Natalie jerked her hand away and sat on it. "Even if it didn't, it would be
a poor repayment on my part to leave you all alone in this after all you've
done for me. Or is there someone else you can call?"
"The Vampire Reinforcements? Nope, afraid not. I've
only been in Toronto about a year, and, as you might have guessed, I don't
make friends that easily. George and Nick are about it, and George is out of
town on some sales trip." And Nick was who-knows-where, he didn't have to
add. Somewhere along the way she'd lost her purse and cell phone, so she'd
have no idea if--no, when-- he did call.
"There is a nightclub. The Raven. I should probably give
them a call, warn them that there's a Hunter around. Doubt that anyone there
would help out of the kindness of his heart, though."
Janette sprung immediately to Natalie's mind, but then
again Janette wasn't wild about her. Natalie had gotten the distinct
impression that the French vampire didn't approve of their search for a cure.
And Nat thought there was a hint of jealously there, too. No, Janette wouldn't
be the one to call on.
"Well, we've done all right so far," Natalie said.
"Guess it's just you and me, partner." She offered him her hand, and Jack
shook it formally. At his touch waves of nausea and hunger flooded her senses.
Natalie snatched her hand free and stood up on trembling legs. There was a
roaring in her ears, and her stomach bent in on itself in insistent demand. The
hunger became all she could feel, all she could think of. From far away she
heard someone whimper, and then there was a gust of sour air as someone rushed
by her. In the next instant she was in the passageway, snarling wordlessly as
she chased after her prey.
She nearly had him at the grate, where he had to take the
time to shove it out of the way before fleeing into the station. In the end all
she had was a piece of rotted cloth and the enticing scent of fear. Vampire
fear. She pulled herself up easily, her eyes following her fleeing prey with no
difficulty. He hadn't leapt up onto the station walkway, but was running down
the tunnel. She cut the distance between them easily. A moment later she had him
by the filthy shirt and he was falling, narrowly avoiding the potent third rail.
Natalie stood over him, savoring the moment. In another second the terrible
hunger would be sated. She would bathe in his blood, tear his flesh with her
teeth. She would—
Rough hands spun her around. Someone was speaking, but more
interesting was the smell of this new prey. Younger, fresher, without the taint
of blood cut with cheap wine. She bared her teeth, growling. This one was
faster, and avoided her biting attack. Hands shifted to her head and she lashed
out with her own hands, wanting the tender meat so close to the surface.
"Natalie!" An unwelcome presence forced itself into her
awareness. Green eyes stared into hers, compelling her attention. "Natalie,
listen to me! Listen to me." The last had the sound of command. She
knew about commands. About power. Her hands stilled their attack.
"This isn't you, Nat. This isn't you. You can
fight it. Do you hear me, Nat?"
"Mm--mmm, I, I can't," she whispered. "It's too
strong." There was wetness on her cheeks, and her vision trebled. "It's
too strong, Jack! Get away from me before I hurt you." Something inside her
gleefully looked forward to it.
"And I thought I'd be the one saying that. Now, listen,
Nat. You can fight this. It doesn't have to beat you. Remember what I said?
You're strong. Stronger than this. Don't let him win, Natalie."
"You don't understand. It's gotten so strong—"
Her hands clutched at him without strength. Her whole being trembled with dark
need. She hung onto her awareness by the thinnest of fingernails.
"I don't? Natalie, this is what we all go through. What
we go through every day. And you're as strong as any of us." His grip
on her head was gentle now, as was his voice. "Stronger than most. You can do
it, Nat. I know you can."
The black urge to rend and tear swept over her again and
she cried out as if in pain. It was pain, of a sort: a need so intense that to
refuse it caused physical agony. But Jack was right. It was an outside thing.
Something that struggled to cover her will, her mind, with its own. She took a
deep breath and let it out slowly. The hunger was still there, as was the
insistent beckoning. But she was there, too. Natalie Lambert. Healer, not
killer.
"Okay." It was barely a whisper, but at her words Jack released her head and drew her into his arms. She went readily, weeping.
End of Chapter Four
