A Grave Hunger (8 page)

CHAPTER 14

I traipsed slowly through knee high snow towards Robert's house, slipping several times on the way. I cursed loudly as I slipped once more, dropping the Christmas presents I had bought for Finlay and Robert. Good thing they weren't breakable. I worked to place a smile on my face as I climbed the porch to Robert's front door. I was determined to have a good day today. Not so much for me, but more for Finlay. He had never had a Christmas day before and he seemed to be really excited about it. He had been adamant that he would cook us Christmas dinner and had even gotten Robert to agree to participate, which I knew was no small feat. I pushed open the kitchen door and was met by a large Christmas tree, beautifully decorated with red and gold coloured baubles and tinsel. Robert was sitting at the dining room table, looking miserable. He was wearing a novelty Christmas sweater with a picture of Rudolph emblazoned along the front. He glared at me when I burst out laughing. The grumpy expression on his face only served to make me laugh more, until the tears started to roll down my cheeks and I was left gasping for breath.

"See, Robert, I told you she would appreciate the sweater," Finlay said, entering the kitchen.

Robert’s response was to grumble incoherently.

"I don't know what you are laughing at, Scotland. I got one for you too." He handed me a matching sweater. I pulled it on, chuckling quietly.

"Very sexy, Scotland." He gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas.”
 

"Merry Christmas. The place looks great. Did you do all this?"

"Yup. Now sit. Dinner is ready."

We sat around the old worn table, eating, drinking and laughing. It felt good to indulge the frivolous and forget about the macabre, for one night at least. Even Robert had a smile on his face. His initial horror at having to participate in our Christmas festivities was quelled by a large glass of whiskey. I don't know if he had been moved by the Christmas spirit or the whiskey had started to take effect, but Robert began to become more animated; laughing, joking and sharing stories of the good old days. It was nice to see him so relaxed, with the usual weight of life having been lifted from him. As the night progressed, his words began to slur and his eyes began to droop. He excused himself from the table and within minutes I could hear the soft burr of his snores from the next room.

"Thanks for all the effort you've put in. I've had a great day." I meant it.

"The day's not over yet," he replied, bending to retrieve a small package that was hidden under the table. "Present time!" he announced cheerfully.

"You didn't need to get me anything, Finlay. You have done more than enough today," I said, rising from the table to grab my own package that I had set on the kitchen counter.

"It's only a small gift." He smiled.

"Ok, me first," I said, sitting back at the table. I handed the package to Finlay. He regarded the silver metallic wrapping thoughtfully, running his fingers over the smooth paper and savouring the moment. He couldn't keep the grin from his face. I felt a pang of sorrow as I witnessed his child-like awe. I wondered if this was the first gift he had ever received. Guilt flooded through me as I thought of the inadequate present I had bought him. I had deliberated for hours over what I should get Finlay, and I ended up settling on something functional. He ripped open the paper eagerly. The phrase 'kid in a sweet shop' sprung to mind as I watched his face light up when he pulled open the box inside. He lifted out the dagger I had bought him, turning it over in his hands.

"I love it, thanks." He ran his fingers over the blade. "Hey, and you engraved it with my initials. That's really cool. Ok, your turn." He pushed a small red gift bag in my direction. He watched me intently as I reached for the bag, his emerald eyes shining with excitement. I pulled out a small black velvet box. I brushed my fingers over the soft material before pulling open the lid. I gasped as I saw what it contained. Nestled inside the black satin interior was a small white gold ring. I pulled the ring from its satin bed and regarded it with awe. It was breathtaking. The face had the design of a delicate Scottish thistle offset by a purple amethyst stone. It sparkled brightly in the light.

"I know you get homesick sometimes, so I thought I would bring a piece of Scotland over here. The thistle is the Scottish national emblem, right?" I nodded mutely, unable to speak the words around the lump that had formed in my throat. When I didn't answer, he continued nervously. "Thought it was pretty cool ‘cause it had an amethyst, which is your birthstone." I struggled to control the torrent of emotions that had flooded through my body. I had never had such a thoughtful and beautiful gift before. It touched my heart.

"Finlay, it's beautiful." My voice broke. He grinned.

"Don't go all soft on me, Scotland. It's just a little something."

If this was a little something, I could only imagine what he considered a large gift. I rose from my chair and threw myself at him, hugging him tightly.

"Jeez, you are easily pleased. Give you something shiny and you go all mushy."

Returning to my seat, I picked up the two glasses of champagne from the table and handed Finlay one, buying some time to compose myself before I spoke. I lifted the glass in a toast.

"To the best Christmas ever." We clinked glasses. He smiled warmly.

"The best Christmas ever," he replied.

CHAPTER 16

The sound of heavy rain drumming against the tiled roof provided a backdrop to my thoughts. I parted the curtains and watched, absorbed, as the heavy drops bounced into a large puddle, making striking patterns with every ripple of water. I jumped as my phone buzzed, pulling me from my thoughts. Sending a glance toward my phone, I noticed Robert's name flash on the screen. I had been in a bubble of contentment since Christmas. It was therapeutic just to enjoy life for a change without having to dwell on the horrors of the world. We hadn't been hunting for a full month. It looked like it was now time to return to the grind stone.

"Hey, Robert, how are you?" I greeted him.

"Leah, I need you. Can you come ‘round to mine ASAP?" He sounded jumpy, his voice thick with unease.

"Yeah, I'll come right over. Is everything ok?" I was instantly alarmed.

"Yeah, yeah. It's fine. Just come right over, ok?"

"Sure, I'll just find Finlay first and we will..."

"No, don't say anything to Finlay. Just come alone," he interrupted sharply.

"Ok, Robert, I'll be there soon," I replied anxiously, hanging up the phone.

This did not sound good. Why wouldn't he want Finlay involved? It didn't make any sense. Finlay had way more hunting experience than I did. If this wasn't hunting related, what could it be about?

*****

My heart thundered in my chest as I shouted out to him, rushing into each room.

"Leah, I'm down here!" Robert's voice was muffled from his location in the basement.

I descended the stairs, entering the basement. I gasped, eyebrows lifting in shock, when I saw the scene in front of me. Robert was at the far end of the room, frantically pushing his weight against a metal grate, desperately trying to latch the door closed. The sounds of snarls and grunts reverberated around the room. It took me a moment for my brain to process the situation.

"Leah, want to get over here and help?" he shouted at me.

Rushing over, I threw my weight against the metal gate. The combination of both of our weights forced the door shut, and I hammered the bolt through the latch.

"Why have you got a vamp in there?" I asked, exasperated. I couldn't understand why he would take the risk of trying to capture one instead of just killing it. Why would he be so reckless? It wasn't like him, and it gave me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"It's not a vamp. Not yet anyway," he replied.

"What are you talking about?" It sure looked like a vampire. A hissing and snarling beast with its teeth bared, blood lust burning in its eyes.

"It's transitioning, not quite a human any more, not yet a vampire," Robert explained.

I looked again at the creature in the cage. Robert was right. At a closer look, there was something different. It had stopped snarling and had become deathly quiet. A young man about twenty years old was lying in the foetal position on the floor of the cell. He looked so vulnerable, scared even. Not like any vampire I had ever seen. The only sounds were from his short, jagged breaths. His body was convulsing violently, jerking and spasming. A glossy sheen of sweat covered his forehead and dampened his hair. I almost felt sorry him. I knew what he would become.

"Why is he here? Put him out of his misery."

He seemed conflicted, not sure how to proceed.

"He hasn't fed yet..." His voice trailed off.

I failed to see the relevance. "What difference does that make?"

Robert seemed embarrassed; his head dropped down to the floor, and he refused to make eye contact. I had never seen Robert act like this before.

"Okay," Robert said. "I've known about something for a while now. If it is true, it will change everything." He turned and walked up the stairs and out of the basement, out of earshot of the poor creature in the cage. He gestured for me to follow him.

I was more confused than ever. My heart dropped. I felt a bit betrayed that he'd been keeping something from me. Not anything small enough to wipe under the rug, but something of importance. Something that, by the way he'd mentioned it, could be a game changer.

"Please? Tell me what it is." I pleaded in a soft, concerned tone.    

"There might be a cure," he explained simply. He left it there a few moments, letting the bombshell sink in.

"To turn a vampire back into a human?” I asked incredulously. “You can’t be serious.”

"Oh, I'm very serious Leah, my dear girl, but it's not quite as easy as that," Robert continued. "It only works for a human in the transitioning stage, from human into vampire. If they feed during this time, they will complete the transition into vampire."

"You're saying if that kid down there doesn't feed, then he will turn back into a human?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," he said, his expression unreadable.

"What's the catch?" I asked, frowning. I had learned a long time ago that if it sounded too good to be true, it usually was.

"Yeah, well, a vampire transitioning is a very traumatic experience, a bit like a drug addict going through withdrawal. Most don't make it through the process."

"How long will it take?" I asked, my interest piqued.

"About a day,
it’ll take that long for the
for the vampire blood to leave the system."

"And you've done this before?" I asked suspiciously. I got the impression he was keeping something from me.

"Yeah, I've done this before," he answered, turning his back on me and stalking back to the basement. I followed him down.

"But why now?" I asked, hustling up behind him, the sounds of my footfalls echoing between our words.  "Why are you only trying this now?" I said once reaching him.

He stopped. "Let's just say that the last time I tried this, it didn't work out too well. But when I came across this poor guy, I had to try it out again. I had to try and save him."

The snarling and hissing had returned. The creature now looked more vampire than human. It snarled and hissed at us as we approached, banging relentlessly against the steel bars of the cage. Taloned fingers reached through the bars, clawing at us as we neared. I was just beyond the cold grasp of Robert's captive. No, it wasn't his captive. The vamp was Robert's experiment. And the experiment was going haywire. Then, suddenly, his demeanour changed. He was no longer a snarling beast. He looked vulnerable and scared. He sank to his knees and started sobbing quietly.

"Please kill me," he begged.

"It's all right. We’re here to help you. The next few days won't be easy, but ..." I stopped mid-sentence. He had put his hands over his ears and screamed out in pain, writhing restlessly on the floor. I sent Robert a quizzical look.

"During the transition, their senses are heightened. Normal sounds will be deafening to them," he whispered.

I looked at the creature in front of me. He looked like he was in so much pain as he cringed away from the dull stream of light of the basement.

I trembled slightly. This was something completely different from what I was used to.
Pull yourself together
, I scolded silently. I was close enough to the cell that I could smell its musky body fluids seeping out from its pours.

Staring down at the monstrosity, I could see the veins in its eyes emerge from the corneas, the pupils dilate, the secretions that dripped from its extra set of sharp teeth protruding from its gums. It was dying.

"Leah," Robert said quickly.

I barely heard him. I couldn't take my eyes off the creature lying in front of me. The darkened skin beneath its jagged claws turned a lighter shade as they became human hands once more. The eyes had begun to clear. I felt my heart skip a few beats as I watched, horrified.

"Leah," Robert called out.

I never thought about answering Robert's call. I was too enthralled with the sight in front of me. I watched the beast reform into a man, his weakened body trembling. His arms wrapped around his waist, and he was cowering to a darkened corner of his confinement.

"You might want to back up a bit," Robert said, in the lamest voice possible.

"Please?" he said. "Help me."

I stepped forward. It lunged for the bars. I was once again the enemy. It reached through the metal barrier, attempting to snatch me by the throat. If I hadn't drawn back, blocked off the attack not only by a swift evasive manoeuvre but by delivering a solid forearm to the incoming threat, I would definitely be dead right now. The sounds of shrieking and madness fuelled rage emanated from his lips.

It reached for me again and hollered in three tones when I stood out of reach. It kept making that screaming high pitch wail, but it was low, in the same note. Then it folded back up into the cowering, terrified man. He backed his way into a darker corner of the cell.

"You see," Robert said. "This is what happens."

He grabbed my attention. I turned to catch him with the corner of an eye.

He said, "It should happen any time now."

I took a few steps away from the cage.

"You'll see soon enough if you keep hanging around. But I don't think you're gonna wanna see what happens next."

The man in the cage trembled. He was off in the far corner up against the bars. His face was wrinkled in pain. He held his eyes shut, and his teeth chattered a bit louder than usual. It sounded like someone was shaking a pair of dice in my ear and wouldn't stop. And then he suddenly silenced and fell over with a thump.

He was lying on his side, his body frozen in place, and only his eyes moved. They twitched like someone having a bad dream. Blood drooled from his gaping mouth. It was a hollow, echoing sound. He was clapping his elbows against his ribs, the muscles in his body all tightening, his cheeks pushing spit and blood through his purple lips while his teeth chattered. Then his eyes opened.

I could see his extra set of teeth protrude when he'd sung a song of pain during his massive seizure. He was sweating profusely and now looking to me with human eyes. He gradually stopped vibrating and started breathing heavily.

"He's dying Leah." Robert’s voice was thick with disappointment. "Only a few are strong enough to beat the venomous vampire blood in their system."

"I'd prefer a bullet to the brain."

He nodded and took a step forward. "If there was a way to cure them, why kill them?" he said, in a way that insisted he wasn't expecting a response.

"Have you seen anyone survive this?" I asked.

"Not with my own eyes but there is lore about it happening. Not to mention that an old hunting buddy swears that he saw it happen. He wouldn't lie about that."

I shook my head, not convinced. We were torturing this poor creature, and for what? Hearsay and gossip. It felt wrong to me.

Staring into the cage, I saw that Robert's experiment had broken out in lesion that covered his entire body. He was panting as if there were something he needed to say. Maybe there was. The way he examined me through weak eyes of sadness and sorrow had my heart aching for this poor creature.