The heat was stifling when we exited the portal, evidence that global warming had progressed to an almost un-tolerable level. The entire city resembled the aftermath of a nuclear war. Charred vehicles littered the streets. Small fires were constantly igniting. The stench of corpses filled the alley ways–both human and non-human. There were bodies hanging from ropes and lamp posts. Some of them had marred faces and thin skeletal frames. Hundreds of animals were running loose. They fed on the corpses, probably their only source of food. Dark clouds blew across the skies as though they were wind-driven, but the air at our level was thick and still.
“Most of the humans stay in at night in fear of being attacked,” I said. “They don’t know that our race adapted to the sunlight many centuries ago. We can hunt whenever we want, however now, once we feed on humans, the serum that scientists have created and introduced into their bloodstream is making us more intolerable of the sunlight again. It’s slowly killing us with each feeding. We’ve been traveling back to the past to find humans that are free of the serum. Also, if we feed on humans that are of mixed bloodline, our bodies eventually become immune to it. I chose Marjanna’s city to lead them away from her.”
“You’re a vampire. Of all the years that I’ve listened to the voices of the dead, and communicated with spirits, I’ve never stumbled upon one of your kind. I thought you were just a figment of someone’s overactive imagination.”
“No, we’re very real. We were taught to keep ourselves hidden from the very beginning. We’re a race that exists between the living and the dead, taking on qualities from both sides.”
“How long have you and Marjanna been seeing each other?”
“I made a re-appearance in her life a few days ago. She told me she was going home for a visit. She’ll be safe if you can convince her to move back to Canada. The scouts are going to capture as many humans of mixed blood that they can find. Mixed blood, in particular, is un-affected by the serum. We must self-transfuse through constant feedings until our bodies contain the new blood only. Your brother and sister-in-law are of two different races, and three bloodlines. I don’t want the scouts to capture Marjanna. But tell me, how did you track me down, Christina?”
“Marjanna told me that you’d been inside of our house before. I touched the controller to the video game that you played and followed its signal to here. Your presence is still pretty strong in that house. Plus, I got a signal from a charm bracelet she was wearing. Finding you here, now that was a stroke of luck. Anyway, I’m not convinced yet that you don’t mean her any harm. She’s of mixed blood. You need her to survive, don’t you?”
“I love her, regardless, and I only know that she attracts me like a super-powerful magnet. I’m drawn to her life source, I admit it, but there’s something much more powerful about her that won’t allow me to stay away. I’ve been watching her from the shadows for the past seven years.”
“Yeah, well, we Caiubi women have always had that effect on men. But tell me. What if she decides that she wants no part of you?”
“I’ll still make sure that the scouts stay away from her. I made a vow to myself to protect her and I’m sticking to it. Follow me, please. I’m sure that my parents will want to meet you. They feel like they already know Marjanna, and she looks so much like you.”
I took Christina’s hand and swept her off to my parent’s mansion isolated in the woods. The teal, yellow and terra cotta colors have always put my mind in a peaceful state. The chocolate accented windows provided the most interesting contrast. Giant elephant-eared plants stage a nice back drop for the pink and purple periwinkles that filled the flower beds in front. Two giant statutes of lions posing on square pillars stood on each side of the walk-way leading to the double-doored entrance.
“From what I just saw in the city, I wouldn’t have imagined that such a beautiful structure still existed. This is breathtaking Alex, but I have just one question. How?”
“I’ll let my parents explain it to you. Let’s go inside.”
My parents have much paler skin than me and red eyes. Also, they made no effort to hide what they were. They moved very quickly–almost floating, and their shiny, white fangs were on display when they smiled.
“Mother, Father, this is Ms. Caiubi.”
“Actually, it’s Mrs. Haggerty, but you can call me Christina.”