Chapter 12
The Safe house
The snake of white vans and box trucks came to a dusty stop in front of an industrial park. There was not a single light in the abandoned complex. The safe house workers flicked on flash lights in synchronized unison, and walked over to a common looking piece of pipe-work. After he fiddled with something for a moment, a dashboard appeared in the hallow metal slug.
Two of the box trucks turned on their lights again, and drove out of the park. Out of the other vehicles, the ex-slaves began to emerge, and talking a lot more.
"Bible John, where are they going?" Monica asked worriedly.
"There isn't enough room at this shelter. They're going to the next one, 'bout a mile down the road. Don't worry, they'll be safe," Bible John assured her.
Before Monica could reply, a large, elevator-like shiny steel door rose from the dusty earth.
"Isn't that a little high-tech?" Monica asked.
"Well, most of the people in the shelters were in the military, NASA, NSA and all types of other organizations that had enormously secret technology at their disposal. The Safe houses began popping up all over the country after the 'Vampires' Night Out' massacre, in which vampires across the country thought they could bring real terror to the world—it worked. I personally helped build this one twelve years ago, about three years after the mass murder of thousands that night."
"Yeah, I was young, but I'll never forget that day, Bible John," Monica replied in disgust.
"Thankfully, we have some of the smartest people in the world developing new technology that is eventually going to help rid the world of the things..." Bible John said, but stopped as it sounded like he was preaching. That wasn't his thing, rather, he intended to keep thinking, and doing.
The two began to walk slowly to the queue that was formed outside of the elevator door. Monica looked over to Blade, who was standing by the box truck, staring out into space. He seemed as distant as ever and of course with good reason. Most of his friends were killed this week. She wanted to walk over to him, tell him how sorry she was, but she figured he would play it off, or possibly even ignore her.
Blade looked to her then, and she tried to look away, but instead she stared back at him, and invited him to walk with her and Bible John without saying a word; Blade just turned away, and stared into the blackness through dark sunglasses.
A kid, around ten years old, walked over to Bible John. He stood there a moment speechless, waiting for the tall man with glasses to see him first. Bible John saw him after Monica. She smiled, and bent down closer to his size.
"Hi there," she said with the kindness of a mother.
"Hi," the little boy said, and then looked back up to the Bible John.
"Hello. Can I help you?" Bible John asked sincerely.
"What's 'Vampires' Night Out'?" the little kid asked.
Both Bible John and Monica looked at each other, and didn't quite know how to handle the question. Obviously this kid has seen more than his fair share of horrors. He was a slave, probably grown up in that prison without parents, just uncaring wardens. Bible John looked over at two of the ex-slaves who were walking with the kid; obviously trying to calm the boy after all he's witnessed today.
The two ex-slaves walked over to them, smiled and silently grabbed the kid by the hand as they progressed through the line. The woman managed to give them a 'thank you' before speeding off.
Monica and Bible John shared a smile, and followed the next group into the large, steel elevator. Monica, again, looked to Blade, but he wasn't there.
"It's ok. He'll come in eventually. He's probably just securing the area," Bible John tried to assure Monica.
*****
A man sat on his Yamaha Warrior cruiser staring at the congregation of vehicles, and removed a bottle of Jack Daniels Sour Mash #7 Whiskey from under his brown leather coat. After a swig, a cigarette was popped in his fanged mouth and let in the same motion, careful though not to let the people he was watching see the cherry or flame.
The man looked around at the group of people from a distance and through his long brown hair that was blowing with the cool night air, and finally found the man he was looking for. He gave a little smirk, and shook his head side-to-side impressed.
The people began to enter an elevator that seemed to be much out of place. The smoking man just shrugged, and turned the ignition key on. He pulled the clutch lever in and kicked the bike down into gear, and rode off knowing what he came looking for was here. Further down the dark highway, he flicked the headlight on when he was safe out of view.
*****
Blade finished his sweep of the area. No vampires. No Familiars.
There was a Safe house worker standing by the pipe with the circuit board ready to head below when Blade was ready.
The man was in awe of the Daywalker, but didn't want to offend with asking him questions. He was waiting for Blade's ok before bringing up the elevator. But Blade wasn't ready just yet. He had to put someone to rest. He hopped up the rear of the box truck with grace, and removed Sonic's body, which was wrapped in a white sheet.
The worker was anxious to help if he could, but could only move around, nervously. Blade noticed the man's honest attempt to help, and gestured for him to give him a hand with a slight nod.
Blade settled down on his cot, which Monica had made for him. It was only moments before he was deep asleep. Monica waited for Blade to fall asleep before laying her head down. She got back up, anxiously, all of a sudden. The fear was back. The fear that the vampires were coming after them.
Once she looked behind her, however, the feeling somewhat dispersed. There were over a dozen men with automatic rifles on this level alone. They were ready; she could sleep now.
What a long day it was...
Bible John let out a loud snore, and Monica laughed to herself before finally closing her eyes. They were opened again by another loud snore, but this time the honor of heralding the loudest snore belonged to their champion himself: Blade.
Blade was trying to get comfortable. He was tossing and turning all night. Half of the lights were on in the subterranean building, and that probably helped, as did some broken conversations.
He opened his eyes wide for a moment...
Blade
He heard his name whispered and echoed throughout the large hall. He thought he was imagining it, and so he closed his eyes again. Back to the tossing and turning...
"Boo!" said someone next to Blade.
He opened his eyes again, and to his utter disbelief, he saw someone that could not possibly be standing, or squatting rather, in front of him.
Blade jumped back over his cot and reached for his sword.
"Hey Blade."
"What the fu—" Blade started.
"What? Did you expect me to be all transparent and smoky? I'm a ghost, Blade, not a cartoon."
"Frost."
"You remember me, then? Good," Frost said sarcastically with a smile.
"How can this be?"
"I have somethin' to tell you. Someone, or somethin', wanted me here, so voila! Cool, huh? Another fuckin' reunion. You're not getting' tired of me, are ya Blade? I know I missed you."
"What do you want?" Blade asked with the sword still by his side.
"Enough of the chit chat, huh? Ok. Where I came from, good and evil are just the beginnings. There's more to it than that, more to it than what's on the surface. It's a grand game of metaphysical chess, Blade, and you're just a pawn," Frost said.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, that the feelings floating inside you: You want to quit. You want to say the hell with it all! Well don't! Someone, or somethin', has bigger plans for the humans—they're not supposed to be slaves, in other words, Blade."
"Again, what the hell's that supposed to mean?"
"Feeling kinda blonde tonight, eh Blade? It means once again that it's your destiny, to use such a clichéd word, to bring humanity back to the forefront of evolution and civilization. Vampires aren't like they were thousands of years ago.
"They took an evolutionary wrong turn. Evil is inherent to them. They took on that persona after being perceived that way by humans for millennia. Damaskinos the Elder is just a whipping boy, but without him and his delusions, the Vampire Nation will return to the shadows, and mankind can step up to their "God given" place in the universe. Deep isn't it?" Frost finished.
Blade noticed he couldn't smell Frost. He couldn't see the vampiric blood within him. He didn't see the fangs, or the contempt in his eyes. The fire, the innate malevolence Frost was taking about, was gone.
"I'm not a vampire anymore. Vampires have no place in this realm. Nor does many man-made concepts, but that's another story entirely. You can stay here and fight all the vampires you wish for as long as you want, but that won't bring your mother back. That won't bring Rossi or his dad back, or anyone back. But if you go to the Elder, and finish him, you can save unimaginable lives in the process..." Blade proclaimed.
Blade dropped the sword on the cot.
"Oh, and just so you know Blade, you didn't kill me. La Magra, the Blood God killed me when the Spirits of the 12 entered my body. I can't let you have that satisfaction, even in the afterlife," Deacon Frost said triumphantly with a wry smile.
Frost turned around and began to walk away. Before he reached the door, his body turned transparent and misty, and blew away with a breeze that appeared out of nowhere.
Blade sat back on the cot, and for a long moment sat in thought. He must be dreaming—he was delirious! Ok, back to the restless sleep.
Monica gently woke Blade up by tapping him on his shoulder. He didn't want to get up.
"Ok, stay in bed. Me and Bible are going to get some breakfast—oh, is this your mother?"
Blade awoke quite startled that he would hear someone say those words. He turned around to see her, and she was looking at a picture. He grabbed the picture from her hands and looked at it. A tear rose up in his eye.
"Where did you get this?" he asked.
"It was right here beside you on the cot," Monica pointed. "She's beautiful."
Blade continued to look at the picture, and thought about his dream last night, with Frost.
"So it wasn't a dream..." Blade said quietly.
"What?" Monica asked.
"Never mind. Go and get your breakfast."