Author's Note: So I finally got a second job! Woohoo, more money! The only downside, I haven't had as much time to write as I did before. Also, because of some family problems, I haven't exactly been inspired. However, I made a 365 day challenge for myself. I will write a little bit every day for 365 days. Hopefully my story will be long done by then, but I already have an idea for an Alcide Herveaux story that I would like to start once this one is over. Anyway, hopefully this challenge will help me deal with the problems that have been going on lately. Thank you, everyone, for the awesome support I have been getting on this story, even when I'm not cranking out the chapters as quickly as I should. Hope you guys enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own Gemma Leland and part of the plot associated with her. The rest of the plot and characters belong to Alan Ball, the creator of the HBO series True Blood, and Charlaine Harris, the author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels.
Chapter 13
Gemma Leland
As we came closer and closer to Jackson, I began to wish that Eric would slow down. I was getting nervous about facing the Weres, as Eric called them. I was marching into war without a battle plan and as we neared our destination, the realization began to sink in that I was risking my life in order to fill in a couple blank spots in my memory. A few times I found myself questioning if the whole venture was even worth it.
Then, I would remember the sheer terror of crawling out of that grave all alone and, suddenly, I remembered why I needed to do it.
Close to the Louisiana border, hunger for blood began to sting in my veins. Thankfully, Eric had a bottle stashed inside the car in case of emergencies, but it merely dulled my hunger rather than satiate it. I would need to find a victim in Jackson before the night was over.
Before long, the twinkling lights of the small city came into view. Tall buildings rose up from the ground like enormous trees while street lights illuminated the nearly-empty streets. It reminded me painfully of my home on the dangerous streets of Chicago, Illinois. As the car entered the city limits, I began to wonder if this concrete jungle housed some of the same horrors I had known growing up. Could it possibly be worse? Werewolves from Jackson had traveled out of state to create me, kidnap a vampire, and chase after a human girl. It made me develop a whole new perspective on the violence and crime in my hometown. I already knew humans weren't the only killers there. Maybe there was a supernatural undercurrent I had never recognized.
I looked at my reflection in the side mirror. When I was human, I would not have been able to make out my features in the dim light. With my new vampire eyes, I could see clearly every minute detail. I could see the inhuman green of my eyes, how flawless my skin had become, how my freckles had paled, but still remained visible against the pallor. My nose, which I had broken in a playground accident when I was seven, was bent ever so slightly to the left. Before my change, I had not even noticed the difference until I was a teenager, it was so imperceptible. With my superior vision, the flaw was glaring, though it made an almost immaculate face look somewhat human.
Human, ha. There is nothing like chasing down your killers to make you realize you truly are dead.
"You look distressed," Eric said, piercing through the haze of my jumbled thoughts. My eyes met his for a second before he looked back toward the road ahead of us.
"I guess I am, a little bit," I admitted, taking a loose curl of my hair into my hands, twirling it around my fingers. Even my hair glistened in a unearthly way. "I'm just worried that one of us may not come out of this situation…you know…"
"Alive?"
"Well, I guess. Can we really come out alive if we are already dead?" I joked, trying to relieve some of the tension I was feeling. It didn't work very well.
Eric's lips turned up slightly. "'Dead' is a matter of opinion. We can walk, talk, have sex. Can one truly be 'dead' and do these things?"
I understood what Eric was saying. True, many categorize the living as having a heartbeat, which vampires do not. There are several things in this world, though, that do not fit into that category, but at still considered alive. Jellyfish, for example, do not have hearts or even brains, yet they clearly are considered to be alive.
Now there was a strange comparison.
Silence enveloped us again and I knew we were getting close to our destination by the solemn look on Eric's face. I began to wring my hands absently, my mind racing with the possibilities our venture could bring. I could leave with every question answered and every blank filled in. Then what would I do? Would I return to Shreveport, or go back to Joliet? I had been missing for weeks, so there was no telling if I even had a home there to return to. Maybe I had been determined dead.
Worse, I could die on this little adventure I had chosen. I could be captured, tortured, drained of my blood. Only Eric, Chow, and Pam, if she survived, would know the difference. No one else knew I, an orphaned vampire, even existed.
The worst thing that could happen, though, was that I leave Jackson with no answers at all.
Unexpectedly, Eric jerked the wheel and we pulled off the main road onto a dirt path into the woods. For a minute, we drove deep into the forest, the trees growing thicker and the darkness growing more eerie with every passing second. The path was so overgrown, it was nearly invisible. It was apparent no vehicles had travelled this way in a while. Hitting the brake, the flashy sports car came to a stop in between two large oak trees.
"Why are we stopping here?" I asked as Eric cut the engine. He turned in his seat, looking into my face. The moonlight shone through the windshield, casting a ghostly white light on his face, giving him the look of an otherworldly being, an angel with pale marble skin. An angel of death.
"We'll have to go the rest of the way on foot," he answered gravely. "Thankfully, the full moon has passed, so there will not be any Weres running in these woods. We should be able to make it to the king's home without any trouble. However, once we get close, we will have to part ways. Should you be discovered by anyone, fight for your life because whether the wolves or the vampires capture you, the result will be the same. If they bring you inside, I will not be able to save you. You will be destroyed, I can guarantee that. And it will not be a painless death. Rely on your abilities because you are smarter and stronger than those creatures. Remember where this car is because it will be your way back to Louisiana, whether I am with you or not."
Eric was speaking to me as if he was briefing me before battle. An icy coldness filled me as I realized that could be the last time we would ever spoke again. Tears sprung to my eyes as I looked up into Eric's face. A look of sorrow passed over him for an instant before it was replaced with his signature stony coolness. Tearing his gaze away from me, he quickly jumped out of the car. Wiping at my eyes, I followed suit.
"Are you ready?" Eric asked as I walked up beside him.
"Not really," I admitted, staring ahead of me into the darkness, "but it doesn't really matter now."
I could see Eric smirking at me from the corner of my eye. "You could always turn around and go back to Bon Temps."
My eyes turned to him, a serious look on my face. "That is definitely not an option."
Eric's expression suddenly turned very grim. "Gemma, you must be very careful."
I smiled devilishly. "You don't have to worry about me, Eric."
Opening his mouth, Eric looked like he wanted to say something more. Thinking better of it, he shook his head, turning back toward the thick trees. With a gesture for me to follow, he took off running like a deer into the darkness.
After a few minutes of running, Eric and I came to a sudden stop, several miles from our starting point. I looked up into my companion's face, terrified of the task in front of me. It felt like the fear was rippling off me in waves. With a firm hand, Eric gripped my upper arm, pulling me close to him. He leaned over so his face was close to mine. Shiftily, he looked around us for any signs of hostile witnesses.
"This is where we part," Eric stated, his voice barely above a whisper.
"How will I know if you are okay?" I asked anxiously. With him in the house and me being outside, I had no idea how we would communicate if something happened to one of us. How would we even arrange to travel back to Shreveport together?
For a moment, Eric looked thoughtfully at the tops of the trees. Then, his eyes met mine again. "I will find a way to communicate with you."
Our eyes locked for several long, meaningful moments. There were so many things I wanted to say to him, but could not find the right words. I wanted to throw my arms around him, bury my face in his shoulder, beg him to go back to Shreveport with me. But I knew that was not an option for either of us. Without warning, I put my hand on the back of Eric's neck and pulled down. He bent over slightly, his head turned to the side, waiting for me to whisper something in his ear. Instead, I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.
With a startled look in his blue eyes, Eric turned to face me. Everything felt like it was moving in slow-motion. My lips turned up into a small, strained smile.
"Please be careful," I whispered, pulling my hand from his shoulder.
Still sporting the bewildered expression, Eric nodded, turning to the right and sprinting into the darkness.
Looking around me, I began to feel very alone and vulnerable. Since the night I had awoken a new creature, Eric had been a near-constant presence in my life. Though he was often a raincloud on my already dark existence, he had given me a sense of safety and security when everything seemed dangerous and unknown. Now, I only had myself to rely on.
I had trouble trusting myself.
Even though I was one, I only had a basic understanding of vampires and their abilities. I knew I could run fast and my sense of smell and hearing were far superior to my senses as a human, but I had never truly put them to the test. Leaning back on a tree trunk, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, smelling the air. Several scents mingled in the air, scents of the forest. Crushed pine needles under my feet, earth, and the sap leaking from the trunk of the pine I was pressed against. However, there was one scent that met my nose, faint but unmistakable.
My mind recalled the image of the dead man bleeding on Sookie Stackhouse's floor, his throat ripped out. His glassy, dead eyes stared up at me from the floor. Clearly, I could remember his scent. Werewolf scent.
My eyes shot open. The wolfish smell I was picking up around me was faint, probably remaining from the full moon a few nights ago when undoubtedly countless werewolves and other were-creatures prowled this area in their other forms. I took another sniff at the air, turning around to determine which direction held the strongest scent. Facing west, I began slowly jogging through the foliage, careful not to make too much noise or go too fast to notice a foe close-by.
The smell of wolf became stronger as I continued running, giving me confidence that I was traveling in the right direction. After a few minutes, I saw the trees begin to thin in front of me. I slowed down, afraid of getting too close and alerting any guards or residents to my presence.
I did not have to worry. Through the trees, I could see a group of figures dressed in black, gathered near the front of the large, regal-looking mansion. Standing a full head taller than those around him was Eric, a strange smile plastered on his face. Curious, I took a few steps forward, hiding myself behind a wide oak tree.
"I am here to speak with Russell Edgington," he said, his voice was very soft and apologetic, extremely un-Eric. "It is very important that I speak to him right away."
"You are not allowed to speak to him without an appointment," one of the guards beside him said in a deep, gruff voice. A slight breeze blew my way, carrying the scents of the guards with it. Those guards were not werewolves. They were vampires.
"Please, it is very urgent. Tell him I am Eric Northman, Sheriff of Louisiana Area Five. I am looking for a missing vampire from my area and I have reason to believe he may be here."
The guards exchanged looks, unsure of what to do. Looking back at Eric, the guard who had spoken, seemingly the head of the group, wrapped a hand around his arm.
"Come on, boys," he called out to the others. "If he wants to see Russell, he'll see Russell."
A few of the other vampires chuckled, enjoying some inside-joke that I did not understand. Moving as one unit, the guards led Eric inside the mansion, shutting the doors behind them.
Eric had gotten himself inside the mansion. Phase one of his mission had been completed. I began to wonder how long before he came out. Hours? Days? Would he come out at all?
Shaking my head, I focused on my own task. I knew werewolves guarded this building during the daytime, though I had hoped a few would also be around during the night. From what I had seen, the only guards on duty at night were vampires. I would have to find some way to track the werewolves down.
I returned to the cover of the thick woods, moving slowly in the general direction of the rear of the mansion, taking in every sight and smell. Taking full advantage of my enhanced capabilities, I was able to pick up the Were scent, much stronger and more recent than the other trails. This smell was mixed with the sweet, if somewhat tainted, smell of living blood.
This Were was close by.
I bounded silently over the brush and fallen tree limbs, following the smell I had caught on the breeze. Feeling like a bloodhound, I began to pick up speed, excitement getting the better of me as I neared the source of the somewhat doglike smell. I was circling the rear of the house by this point, soon seeing the corner of a small building ahead, possibly a shed or garage.
The sound of voices made me stop in my tracks.
"Where the fuck have you been, Coot?" a voice shot out from the darkness ahead of me. Stunned, I dropped to the ground silently, scampering toward the closest hiding place I could find. As quietly as I could manage, I scuttled behind a large rock, submerging myself in a pool of darkness.
"Calm the fuck down," another voice answered, slightly more gruff, a clear Southern drawl pulling at the words.
"I've been waiting for your ass for forty-five fucking minutes. You were just supposed to put the fanger away? What did you do, fuck him?"
"No, you son of a bitch," the second man shot back. "I wanted a little hit before heading home."
"Damn you, Coot, did you at least bring me some?"
"Hell no I didn't. Go get your own."
"Goddamn it, you just had to remind me of the V," the first man muttered. A pause. "Shit. Let's go."
My vision suddenly went black. Squeezing my eyes shut, I put my hands on my forehead, feeling that distinct cracking feeling in my head.
I was getting another memory.
Everything was dark. I could see nothing. A man was close to me. I could hear his breathing.
"We got her all chained up, Cooter."
The sound of footsteps coming close to me.
"Sweetie, you are going to taste so good when the change is finished. Come on, fanger. Let's go."
My eyes snapped open. My memory had only been audio, so I could see no faces, but I could recognize one thing clearly. That voice. The second man's voice, I had heard it before. He had spoken to me before I was changed.
Cooter. What an awful name.