Chapter Twelve

Jasper

I had no idea where I was, the ground was undulating and I could hear strange sounds like none I had ever heard before. I sat up groaning, or tried to but found myself chained to a bunk. The room was small with a tier of bunks and I was on the bottom one, the room was empty apart from my bedroll and I reached over just getting my fingers to it and pulled it closer but there was no knife, no gun, nothing I could use as a weapon, just my bed roll and spare clothes. I sank back on the bed trying to remember what had happened through a thick fog. I had found myself unable to move properly or even speak and I had seen...Peter!

Yes I had seen him and even spoken to him but it wasn't the Peter I remembered, this Peter was pale, more muscular, and his eyes...his eyes were red, a startling crimson! He had told me he was one of the creatures now but how was that possible? Had they all originally been men like myself? Or had I been dreaming? I didn't remember drinking, I banned it whilst on patrol, we needed our wits about us but something had acted on my brain, stupefied me, made me dream.

I struggled up again but I couldn't reach the window which was small and oddly shaped. Then I hard a horn and finally I understood, I was on a ship, but where was it heading? Who had brought me to this place and for what reason? Had it been Peter? Could he now stupefy a human being? The others we had hunted couldn't so it wasn't a normal trait of the beings. My throat was dry and my stomach complaining loudly at missed meals. Then I heard footsteps outside and a key in the door, someone was coming to see me, I just hoped they had water with them, I was parched. The door opened slowly and I tensed, I had measured the play in the chain and knew how far into the room anyone need come to be within my range, I was ready.

As I saw my visitor all thought of attack left me, it was indeed my friend Peter Jenkins but as I had dreamed he was now one of the creatures we hunted. He carried a tray bearing hot food and a coffee pot and my stomach grumbled at the aroma.

"Hello Major."

I narrowed my eyes, if I was here where were my friends, our friends? Were they in another room? Prisoners too?

"Where am I and where are the others?"

He shook his head and put the tray down, seeing my chance I sprang at him but he stopped me with one hand. His strength was incredible and no matter how I struggled and fought I couldn't break free.

"There's no point Major, ya can't outfight me now. I'm stronger, faster, and more agile than ya."

"Are ya a killer too Peter? What happened to the others? Our friends? Did you kill them or are they aboard with us?"

He shook his head,

"I couldn't save them, the Volturi only wanted ya."

"Volturi? Who the hell are they? If you're so dog-gone fast and strong how come you couldn't save them, our friends?"

"There are others faster and stronger with strange gifts, I couldn't fight them."

"So ya let them kill our friends? I sure hope ya can live with that Captain."

"I had no choice and livin' with killin' is something ya will get used to as well."

I hurled the coffee pot at him in disgust but he plucked it out of the air as if it had been going real slow and put it back down with nary a drop spilled.

"I'll never be one of those creatures killin' innocents like my sisters and your parents."

"Ya ain't gonna have no choice, we live on blood, human blood, the cravin' will be too much, you'll feed, we all do eventually."

"But ya didn't attack us when ya had the opportunity."

"No, I'd hunted recently so I could turn away when I recognized your scents, if I'd been thirsty I couldn't have."

I picked up the bowl of meat stew and started eating, I needed my strength to fight whatever was coming.

"We're going to Italy, that's where the Volturi, the leaders of our world live."

I looked up sharply,

"Your world NOT mine."

"It will be Major, for some reason they want ya alive or ya would be rottin' with the others, be thankful for that."

"Thankful I'm gonna be a killin' machine? I don't think so Peter. What happened to ya? To the man I knew?"

He told me how he was carried away by one of the creatures and changed so he could be a companion. Of the terrible pain of the transformation and the thirst that drove all other thoughts out of his mind, his horror at first and the blood lust that stopped him thinking of anything else but feeding.

"Then a few weeks ago I met this creature, a huge mountain of a man who told me he was sent to collect ya and that I had to help him. I couldn't run or hide, he seemed to know what I was thinkin' of doin' before I thought it. He had another with him, no more than a boy but he was special, he could make all your senses stop workin', the others never even knew they were dyin', they didn't feel a thing."

"And ya think that makes it right? That just makes it slaughter."

"No, but it made it easier for them than any other death would a been. Don't judge me Major till you've felt what I felt, endured the torture I did, then ya can look at me like that."

I finished my meal and drained the coffee pot then lay back down and closed my eyes.

"Ya run back to your new buddies and tell them I can't wait to meet the head honcho, me and him are gonna have words."

"Yeah, brave words but ya ain't seen what they can do Major."

"Nope, but they've seen what I can do, that's why I'm here, cos I killed too many of them and a few more would be pretty good."

He sighed heavily,

"Ya can't fight them, ya ain't gonna win, whatever they want ya to do ya will do cos there ain't no other way."

"We'll see about that Captain but for now I'd like to sleep and then maybe I can get the use of an outhouse or whatever they have on ships."

"I'll have to ask, I don't have the key to your chain and please don't try callin' for help. Anyone who comes will just be killed and it will be your fault, that's a message from Felix."

"Felix? Well that's one name to go down on my list, he helped kill our friends?"

"No, that was the boy Alex...and me."

I opened my eyes and looked at him in horror mixed with pity, what had they turned my best friend into?

"Then I guess I gotta few scores to settle don't I?"

He was back an hour later while I'd spent the time trying to find a way out of this predicament, if they really thought I was gonna sit here nice and quiet like a roped steer for brandin' they were much mistaken.

I checked the chain again link by link this time and found a weak one close to my ankle. Working on it with the spoon that was sent with my meal I managed to loosen it further until I knew I could break free when I saw my chance. As I heard someone coming back I lay down once more and feigned sleep but he wasn't alone. With him was the kid he'd told me had some strange ability. I decided to bide my time I didn't want to tip my hand too soon and ruin my chances.