Chapter Eleven

Jasper

When we finally made camp two days after the attack I still couldn't figure out why one of the creatures had run from us. He had the advantage, we were preoccupied with the attack from the other direction yet he hadn't attacked himself but hesitated and run. We had been tracking him ever since, not stopping until the failing light forced us but we were weary as were the horses and we needed to eat. While Solomon watched from the nearby ridge Matthew cooked a haunch of deer we had shot before stopping and Adam took some of the roasted meat to Matthew eating with him.

"He ran."

I looked at Solomon,

"I know."

"Why? We've never had one run before."

"I know and I've no idea why but I intend findin' out."

"Do you think he recognized us?"

"You mean as the hunters? I don't know, I guess our fame could be spreadin' but why run?"

I took a mouthful of hot coffee and continued to eat, the meat tasted good after so long on cold rations again and reminded me of the many times Peter and I had settled down for a hot meal after tracking Union detachments or fighting a battle. I missed him, I just hoped he'd died quickly, after all he'd been through he deserved at least that mercy.

Guard duty changed every two hours and I was finally dozing when Solomon nudged my arm,

"Your watch Major."

I grunted and picked up my bow, we never stood guard without the means to defend ourselves from the dangerous creatures we hunted. I took my place nodding at Matthew who I was relieving,

"All quiet Major, but not too quiet."

I understood his meaning, we had noticed that when the creatures were around even the birds fell silent and the buzzards disappeared as if they knew death stalked the land below them.

I'd been there about an hour when I suddenly found myself feeling inextricably tired, bone weary, and then I saw him, standing in the moonlight about twenty feet from me and glowing. I had to be dreaming,

"Major."

I struggled to hold my head up and my eyes open,

"Peter?"

"I'm sorry Major but I had no choice, they promised they wouldn't kill you."

"Who Peter? How can you be here? You're dead."

His face twisted in a parody of his usual grin,

"Yep I guess I am in a way but you'll understand soon enough. You need to come with me now."

I shook my head still fighting this draining lethargy and picked up my bow but my arm seemed weighted with lead.

"Please Major, come with me now and you'll live, like me, but its better than death."

I didn't understand what he was saying but I lifted my bow and struggled to get numb fingers to pull the matches from my pocket.

Peter

He was the biggest son of a bitch I'd ever set eyes on, at least seven feet tall with shoulders almost as wide. I knew he was one of us by the eyes, huge and red, while his smile would have made my blood, if I still had any, run cold. I'd been approached by another of our kind and told I'd been chosen to perform a special task. When I told him where to get off he just laughed and said no one refused the Volturi.

"Oh yeah? And just who are they?"

"Our rulers, the ones who run the world you now belong to. They want you to find your friend,. The Major."

"Why?"

Suddenly I was very afraid, I'd seen him only a few weeks ago and though my instinct was to sink my teeth into his throat and drain his blood I managed to stop myself long enough to run away. I may be a monster myself now but I would not take the blood of my best friend. Thirst may rule me now but friendship, true friendship overrode even that, much to my relief.

"Don't worry, they want him alive. It's your job to distract him while they kill his followers. Refuse and he dies too, writhing in agony, his life is quite literally in your hands Captain. Have you ever wondered why you have been allowed to roam free after killing your sire?"

"No, never occurred to me I guess. You kill each other all the time."

"Yes but the Volturi are interested in you for some reason so you should be thankful."

"Well, you'll excuse me if I don't find that very reassurin'."

"Just find The Major and get ready to draw his attention while we finish his friends."

"What if I say no?"

"Once you meet the Volturi guard you'll understand why no one says no to him."

Well he had been right, I did understand, but I trusted his word that he would spare The Major provided I kept him occupied while he did his job. Well I was doing it but I felt like a real bastard, I was standing here aware that our friends were being slaughtered down in the camp yet there was no sound, no screams, no sound of fighting, no alarm, nothing, and The Major was finding it difficult to stay upright, so what in tarnation was goin' on?

"What happened to you Peter?"

I looked back at him to see he had managed to string an arrow and was trying to light the wadding but he couldn't hold the match steady and it blew out.

"I became one of them Major. I woke up and found I was one of the blood drinkers."

"It was...you...attack at...camp?"

His words were thick and hardly intelligible but he was still fighting whatever this strange feeling was.

I moved closer and suddenly felt it myself, like a curtain of cotton ball filling me up and I took a few steps back, enough to escape its effects. He tried to stand and I knew he'd watched me and figured out if he could move just a few feet he might be able to act but his feet wouldn't support him and he sank to his knees still holding the bow and matches. He struck another but it dropped from numb fingers and I saw a look of betrayal on his face as he finally succumbed to the effects of this numbing gift. A few minutes later the giant reappeared along with another, a young boy with blond hair and an angelic looking face that made my skin crawl.

"Go with Alex, kill the others."

"Kill them? Can't we just leave them be and take The Major?"

He turned to me and smiled,

"You need to lose your scruples Captain before they get you killed, now go with Alec and kill the others, all of them. We're going to be a few weeks without feeding properly so you'd better feed whilst you can."

I followed the youth back to where the rest of the group lay as if asleep or dead already,

"What did you do?"

Alex turned to me,

"I cut them off from the world, its my gift. Do you have a preference?"

He gestured to the figures and I noticed with horror that all had their eyes open although none appeared to see or hear our approach. I started to shake my head then changed my mind, I couldn't feed on my comrades but there were two strangers with them and I gestured accordingly. Alex smiled and before I could say anything he was on Matthew, draining his bloods as I watched. Within minutes he was dead and he knew nothing about it, he was followed in quick succession by Solomon and the scent of blood overcame me, my thirst becoming a living being.