The wind blows across the savannah and I look at the animal I had recently hunted, a male wild boar that had been fighting a rival for the right to mate. I wiped my mouth and I could see the bloodstain on my hand.
"This reminds me of Gonzalo, of his transformation, of the night that everything changed for both of us." I thought as I looked at the stain on my hand.
"Murderer! You killed Pumba!" Tomás joked, while I let out another smile.
"Who is Pumba?" I asked, feeling like I had ruined the joke.
"Oh..Barbie, if there was electricity in the cave I'd show you the movie, I can't believe you haven't seen The Lion King. I'll see if I can at least find a magazine, although it's not the same as seeing the movie, he's a character, I won't say more so you can see for yourself." He explained cheerfully.
Tomás often made jokes that left me lost several times, which made me realize how disconnected I was from the human world, something that didn't happen with Amalia, although Tomás said Amalia had granny knowledge when it came to pop culture, I was much further behind regarding modern culture, there is much to learn.
I also liked that after a year and a couple months, Tomás was already much warmer and direct with me, it took time, but he trusted me more now, I hope he has forgiven me, or at least understood me, I can already feel like a member of the coven and not like a prisoner.
I wiped my hands and mouth in a river, the animals immediately moved away, and I tried to fix my hair a bit. A nomadic vampire, or semi-nomadic in our current case, doesn't usually dress glamorously, we don't have those luxuries. When there is no home or money, our clothes are usually "donations" from the humans I hunted, and many times adjustments had to be made when they weren't your size. Shoes were the worst, because they wore out very quickly, and I didn't like running barefoot or with torn clothes like Od, I tried to look my best with what I could take, the only reason I ended up hunting human females was to get their clothes, that's how I learned a bit about human fashion, it wasn't glamorous, but I did what I could.
Od was a mess, he always looked like a beggar and never cleaned the stains on his face or clothes. Arthur only did it to impress me, but in his final moments he looked more and more like Od in his style of dress.
"I see that writing has helped you a lot. You look much better," Amalia smiled at me.
"Thank you," I told her as I held my notebook and once again began to mark my thoughts on these pages.
After Klein's death and having resolved the issue with Arthur, I stopped visiting Gonzalo for a while and Od was keeping tabs on him for me. The last time I saw Gonzalo was precisely at the funeral of who had been his mentor, and it was the first time since my early days as a vampire that I had truly felt bad for a human, Gonzalo was devastated and my desire to continue with the plan was beginning to waver.
The first time I felt remorse for a human was during my first hunt with Od. My thirst was tremendous in my first months, and my victim had been a boy from a neighboring village who had come to me for food, since his parents had surely died or been taken by the Mongols. The boy hadn't even reached adolescence yet, I cried and hated myself for having committed such an act. From that moment on, Od only explained to me that it was normal, just as humans also feed on and hunt other animals. His words finally sank in after my newborn phase.
"Did you know she's going to have a baby?" Od told me.
I opened my eyes wide and looked at him. How did I not realize! Why did he have to make a baby with that woman! I felt like my plan was already falling apart and I incessantly punched the cave wall, making a bigger and bigger hole.
"Stop, you're going to cause a collapse!" Od exclaimed.
Arthur's head was a few meters from me. "He must be laughing now," I thought angrily. Everything has become more complicated and now I don't know what to do, I don't know if I should do this.
"Your singer went away and we don't know if he'll come back, you have to act soon," Od insisted.
I breathed heavily and felt my opportunity slipping through my fingers.
"Did you find out where he went?!" I asked him worriedly.
"To the city. I guess his child was going to be born, it's possible they'll come back. My idea is to intercept the car before they get to Himmelsburg, we could make it look like an accident for the humans, and a murder by Arthur for Gonzalo," Od suggested and then added. "You should feed, you haven't done it in a long time. We have to stay focused for when the time comes."
I nodded and sat down. Od looked at me and then told me again.
"We can also leave all this and get out of here, too bad you didn't get to taste your singer but if you have doubts...Or just take him and that's it, I can bring him to you if you want. The simplest option is often the best."
"Let's see where they are and continue with the plan. Let's do it as you proposed," I told him and so we set out for the city.
Following the trail at night, we came upon a building nearby. I could clearly smell him, that sweet unmistakable aroma that was clearing my doubts about whether I should carry out the plan.
We staked it out every night. Od found the road they would take back. He informed me that a friend of theirs was driving them and would pick them up. The route from the town to the city had one road, although paved, dangerous in certain seasons, especially in rainy or snowy seasons, and the forest was dense along that road.
The day came and it had started snowing lightly..…
"Let's go! It's now!" Od shouted and shot out running. I stayed there, paralyzed, with my throat burning with thirst and my eyes as black as coal, hesitant. I could hear the crash, and I started to feel Gonzalo's exquisite aroma once more, it was as if that aroma was the only thing motivating me to keep going.
As I ran, I heard gunshots and screams. I couldn't see Gonzalo nearby, but I could smell the scent of blood, Od was already dealing with the other man, I just saw the woman and prepared to feed, I had already gone too long without blood. After a good amount of time, I started to hear crying, I woke up from the trance and turned around. I saw the little one trapped in a seat and I wanted to help, to get her out of there.
"Don't do it Anastasia!" Od shouted. "We have to find Gonzalo... she... won't make it..."
After a pause I thought. "I can't...I can't do this, no." I ran off to hide in the woods, ashamed. Od ran after me.
"We're already in this! There's no going back!" He tried to meet my gaze and convince me. Od wasn't going to let this go so easily.
I heard more gunshots behind us, and I could hear the agonizing voice of my dear Gonzalo, but I didn't dare look him in the face.
"Either you feed on him or turn him! Look!" Od exclaimed, pointing with his finger.
Gonzalo had been knocked unconscious, with his little one in his arms. Od took him and dragged him by one foot towards me and said.
"There's a cabin near here, you can turn him there."
I took Arthur's head and we went to an abandoned cabin. Od cleared the table, put Gonzalo there and tied him up with some fabrics.
"Should I do it?" I asked Od.
"Do it now! The guy is dying, this is your chance..." Od responds loudly.
I started the process. I made sure to bite as many times as possible so the venom could spread as quickly as possible, but I didn't know if it was going to work, it was the first time I turned someone into a vampire, and it was precisely him, now I had to save his life.
"Do you think it's enough?" I asked Od.
"Hmm... no, keep going..." He just said.
I kept biting and managed to taste some drops. The legends were right, I had never tasted anything like this in my life, the process was really hard for me and I started to lose control.
"Okay, it's starting I think... stop, stop..." Od tells me, holding me tightly.
I had to leave. His aroma and taste were irresistible. I lay down in the snow, looking up at the sky and closed my eyes. At first I felt very guilty and for a moment it seemed like I was going to leave it all behind, but after feeling that exquisite aroma and having tasted that elixir that sent me into ecstasy, I thought maybe it would have been worth it, so I smiled and indulged in the smell and taste it had left in my mouth.
"It tastes like chocolate.." I murmured, while taking the last drops.
I was like this for days and days, and a storm was brewing, as if a divine sign. Od watched the process attentively, with Arthur's head placed on a table in a corner. I started worrying because it was taking too long. I went inside and Od said, impressed:
"Haha, this guy is tougher than I thought, Anastasia"..
"I told you, he's strong," I replied. "How long do you think it'll take him if he survives? I mean, it's been five days already."
"Anytime now..."
In an instant, like a lightning bolt, I see my Gonzalo break free from his restraints and dart outside. I was able to admire the marvel I had created before me.
His body had become athletic yet refined, slender. His skin was pale with a subtle, exotic olive tone and his bright ruby eyes shone intensely before me. All those imperfections, the fat and scars had disappeared, revealing that perfect, symmetrical face that at the same time emanated warmth. He didn't have Darius' divine countenance or Arthur's imposing one, nor Od's intimidating one, rather it was more angelic, closer, friendlier. But from that expression there was something inside, something hidden, I could see, no, feel it, and for a moment, I was afraid of having created something I wouldn't be able to control.
"Who are you? Where is my family? What did you do to them?!" He roared like a lion.
I take three steps back and Od stands in front of me, anticipating what would happen.
"Your family didn't make it, he killed them".
"Liar!"
Gonzalo lunges at Od and they begin to battle, while I watch, desperate, powerless not knowing what to do. After a couple of exchanges, Gonzalo focuses his attention on me, and tries to attack me while I dodge his attacks, Od tries to stop him but struggles, like with any newborn. Od finally manages to subdue him, and with more doubts than certainties exclaims:
"Anastasia, your guy is out of control, I'll have to finish him off..." he looks at me while holding him tightly.
I approach him, gaze into his lovely eyes, put my hands on his cheeks.
"Lie, lie.." I tell myself, with remorse, but marveling at my creation. Finally I plead:
"Look at me, please, believe us, we saved you, the man who killed your family is dead."
"Show me, show me now!" He demands, still doubting my words.
"Od, release him, please, and bring him the head."
"He's out of control! Look at his eyes, we can't trust him, this was a bad idea". Od insists.
"Just bring me the head, please!" I begged him.
As we finally entered the cabin, I realized how close he was to discovering us, maybe my expression revealed more than it should have. I bit my lips and told myself there was no going back now, I mustn't think about the circumstances, but rather the result and the future of our coven.