Darkness Before Dawn (4 page)

“Who are you?” I demand to know.

“Later. This way,” he says, taking us out of the narrow passage and onto the main street.

I hear things: the thumping of vampires above us, moving from building to building. Their shadows dance in front of us, monstrous in size, so close to the lights that hang down.

“How many are there?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” he says. “But I can’t take them all.”

The fight I just endured takes its final toll and I stumble. I fall to one knee, curse, push myself up. The stranger shifts Tegan, draping her over his shoulder. Then he grabs my hand and we begin running.

We rush down a dark alleyway that I’m convinced is safe only because he leads us. A sharp turn and then another, and we’re in the deep corridors of the city. Tall, bricked walls like mazes hide the old parts, the blocks and buildings that stood erect before the war.

“Here,” he says, stopping in front of an old abandoned movie theater.

The stranger, with Tegan still hanging over one shoulder, pulls out a key and undoes the padlock. The chains it held fall and coil onto the ground like great metal snakes. He swings the door open and ushers me inside. It’s dark in there, but what choice do I have? This stranger risked his life for us, and in this moment, I have to trust him.

The stranger comes in behind me and hands me the key. “Bring in the chains and lock things up from this side.”

I do as he says, hints of outside light allowing me to work in this dark entryway. When I turn around, he’s already walking away, a tiny flashlight suddenly illuminating an eerie path.

“We’re safe in here,” he says.

Slipping the key into my jeans pocket for now, I follow him down a hall and up a narrow flight of stairs. He opens a door. I hear a click, and a small room is flooded with light. He eases Tegan down onto a cot. He feels her brow, checks her breathing. I tell him quickly about the party, how someone spiked her drink.

“She’ll be fine,” he says. “Probably won’t remember any of this tomorrow, which might be for the best. She just needs to sleep it off. As long as we keep her cool, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Taking in the surroundings, I can see that the room is well maintained despite the theater being so ancient. Shelves hold metal canisters that are unfamiliar to me. Posters line the walls, old and nostalgic, not printed today but from days gone by. Some weird machine that looks like a giant camera sits on a table, staring out a small window in the wall.

“Where are we?” I ask.

“The projection room,” he says.

“A what?”

“They used to project movies onto a screen from here.” He gestures to the machine.

“Oh.” There aren’t any working movie theaters anymore. They’re just relics like this one. I might enjoy exploring it if I weren’t shaking so badly. The adrenaline has subsided and left me with a terrible feeling of anxiety, as if all the danger I was in is only now registering. I keep seeing the vampire standing over me, Tegan sprawled on the floor, me helpless to do anything about it. I was completely at their mercy. A lot of good all my training did. When faced with the reality of a vampire attack, I was pretty incompetent.

Will I be as inept tomorrow night, when I’m tested by Valentine? Will I fail to protect the citizens?

“You’re trembling,” he says. “Here, this’ll help.” He opens a small refrigerator, reaches in, then tosses me a can.

I stare at it. Carbonated drinks are rare. Expensive. “Where did you get this?”

“Found a stash in a storeroom. You scavenge around, you can find all kinds of treasures.”

He doesn’t look like a scavenger. His black jeans and sweater aren’t frayed and worn. He has too much confidence. I’m trying to trust him. He hasn’t given me any reason not to, but still… I shake it off. Tegan’s right. Since my parents were killed, I tend to get paranoid. “I’m sorry, but I don’t even know your name.”

“Victor. Drink up.” As though to encourage me, he opens a can for himself. I hear the hiss of carbonation being released. I watch his throat muscles work as he takes a long drink. It reminds me that my throat—and Tegan’s—are unmarked by fangs because of him.

“Thanks, Victor. I owe you. I can’t imagine what those vampires would’ve done if you hadn’t come along.”

“Sure, you can,” he says. “You
are
Dawn Montgomery, after all.”

My heart leaps in my chest. “Is that why you saved me? Because I’m the city’s delegate?”

“I wasn’t sure until just now, when I saw you in the light,” Victor says. “All I knew was that two girls were in danger and I acted. It’s that simple.”

“Not so simple. You were really good. Are you a Night Watchman?”

“Not in this lifetime,” he says. “Just a guy who happened to be at the right place at the right time.”

Yeah, right. Night Watchmen are notoriously discreet. They don’t boast. They don’t swap stories. The fear is that if they’re identified, vampires might try to take them out. Or Lord Valentine will request an audience with them. He doesn’t approve of the elite group of vampire hunters, fearing that if they grow in number they might try to dethrone him. “Well, whatever you are, thanks again.”

Victor simply shrugs and nods toward my can, still unopened. I pop the top, hear the fizz, and take a sip. It’s so good! The sugar hits my system. It doesn’t seem like it should, but it does calm me. I hadn’t realized how shaken I was. Almost turning into a late-night snack will do that to a girl.

Victor arranges two chairs near the bed. I sink onto one and he drops onto the other.

“The Agency’s going to kill me,” I say.

“They don’t have to find out,” he says. “I’ll take you home as soon as it’s safe again.”

“Did the vampires chase us the whole way here?”

“I think we managed to elude them once we hit the alleyways. They’ve been getting desperate lately. It used to be one, maybe two vamps roaming the streets. But now they’re traveling in packs, getting bolder.”

“Well, I’ll talk to Lord Valentine about that tomorrow,” I say, feeling a swell of pride in my chest for the first time since I became a delegate. Maybe I’m just trying to impress Victor, since I failed so miserably on the trolley.

“I’ve heard Valentine is a tough vampire to deal with,” he says.

“He’s … intimidating. And clever. I don’t trust him. Tomorrow night will be the first time I face him alone. That’s why I went to this stupid party in the first place. I just wanted to have some fun and forget all my responsibilities for a while.”

“Not sure I agree with your choice of playground.” He gives me a wry grin, and I feel my cheeks warming with embarrassment.

“Yeah, that was pretty stupid. I just… I don’t know. Sometimes I just wish everything was different.”

“Can’t blame you for that, I guess. When the VampHu Treaty was signed I’m not sure anyone expected the vampires to be quite so controlling.”

I shrug. The Vampire Human Treaty shackled us to these cities, imposed our quarantine. I’ve read the VampHu Treaty, all six hundred pages. I’ve memorized the key laws; I can recite the preamble by heart. Part of the job description. And part of the legacy my father left me. He was a vampire historian, a leader in a very young field. It gave him an uncanny understanding of vampires that made him excel as an intelligence officer during the war, and integral to the peace negotiations afterward. He even wrote portions of the treaty. Which has made our family name, Montgomery, a household one. For better or worse. Probably the reason Valentine eventually asked for him as a delegate.

All I can say now is, “They won.”

“I’m not sure they really did. So many are starving for blood.” He shakes his head. “Sorry. I hate politics. Just seems like there has to be a better way for us all to live together. Guess that’s where you come in. I can’t believe they selected someone so young to serve as a delegate.”

“No one can, but Valentine requested me. And what he wants, he gets.”

“Brutal.”

“Yeah. But at least I’m following in the footsteps of my parents.”

“I’m sorry they were killed.”

It’s strange. While the whole city knew my parents were murdered, most people don’t mention it. And truthfully, I prefer it that way. It’s definitely better than the mechanical condolences I get from people I barely know who feel obligated to say something. But the way Victor said it—I could tell he meant it. And, for whatever reason, that opens up the hurt I desperately try to keep at bay. Tears sting my eyes. The whole horrible night seems to be pressing in on me. “Can we talk about something else? Like you, maybe. Who are you?”

He leans forward. He’s near enough that I can see his eyes are really two shades of blue: a lighter shade surrounded by a darker circle, like the surface of the ocean giving way to the depths below. “Maybe you got hit harder than I thought and have a concussion. I already answered that question.”

“No, you told me your name. You didn’t tell me
who
you are. I mean, do you live here? Or is this just where you bring damsels in distress that you’ve saved? I know you don’t go to my school.” I would have noticed him.
Every
girl would have noticed him. I feel guilty at the thought. I have Michael. I shouldn’t be noticing other guys.

“I haven’t gone to school in a long time,” Victor says.

Truancy is a huge problem in the city, but he seems too smart for that.

“So what do you do?” I ask.

“Just waiting to inherit the family business.”

“Which is?”

Tegan moans. I look over at her. Her eyes flutter open, then close again. I go over to the cot and touch her forehead. She’s clammy. She moans again. “Are you sure she’s okay?”

He moves to the foot of the bed and studies her. “Pretty sure.”

I snap my head around to stare at him. “Pretty sure?”

“I’m not a doctor. Give her some of your drink. I’m going to check outside, see if it’s safe, so I can get you home.”

“Yeah, okay, that’s probably a good idea.”

I slip my arm beneath Tegan’s shoulders, lift her up, and press the can to her lips. She’s so pale. I wish now that I’d hit Shaggy Guy harder. I’m surprised when she actually sips some of the soda. She smacks her lips, and I give her some more. She’s stirring, fighting to keep her eyes open. But once again, she loses the battle. I decide that I need to call Rachel. Even though I’ll pay for it with her icy glare later, I can have her send someone to pick us up. I reach for my cell phone—only to discover it’s not in my pocket. “Crap.”

“What is it?”

Victor is standing in the doorway. I didn’t see him return. I try not to be bothered by how stealthy he can be—it’s an asset for a Night Watchman, after all. “I think I dropped my cell phone in the trolley. I was just about to call my guardian and have her send someone to pick us up.”

“I’d rather you not tell anyone about this place. Or me. It will only … complicate matters. Okay?”

“You
are
a Night Watchman, aren’t you?” “My anonymity, this haven … they’re important.” I eye him for a moment. I’ve met an actual Night Watchman. I’m sure of it. I don’t know why he wasn’t wearing his hood to conceal his identity or his medallion, but maybe the first vamp ripped them off in the fight. His skills, his secrecy, his desire for anonymity are typical characteristics of those who guard the night. Then I realize that it doesn’t matter that I have no confirmation of what he is. All that matters is that he was responsible for saving us. “Your secret’s safe.”

I see the appreciation in his eyes. Against my will, I experience a small thrill, and heat races through my body. I remind myself firmly of Michael. It’s time to go home. “Are there vampires out there?” I ask.

“No, we’re good to go.” He lifts Tegan into his arms and carries her down the stairs. I follow. At the bottom, he heads in a direction different from the one we took coming in. Tiny lights line the floor. We go down one hallway, then another.

Using a hip, he presses on a bar and shoves open the door. “Go on.”

I slip past him into an alley. When he steps out, the door slams behind him. “It locks automatically,” he says, as though I asked.

I just wish it hadn’t made so much noise. I look around nervously. That’s when I notice the car. Black, like midnight. Hard to spot in the shadows.

Victor strides past me toward it. “Get the passenger door, will you?”

“You’re kidding me,” I say, rushing after him. “You have a car? That works?”

Since the war ended, most cars have become little more than stationary set pieces. Even if the parts can be found to keep them running, gasoline is a rare commodity. The Agency has them, but the fuel is rationed, so they’re seldom used. That he has one means he’s either superrich or the Agency is providing it—in which case he has to have a powerful role within the Night Watchmen. He doesn’t look old enough to be a lieutenant, to have a group of Watchmen beneath him. But then, I’m hardly old enough to negotiate with a vampire lord. Since the war, it’s like the world has gone totally off its axis. The only rules that exist are those for survival.

As I get nearer, I see a galloping horse on the grille and realize it’s a Mustang. Michael would kill to have one of these. He’s always talking about cars, even though he’ll probably never own one. I open the door.

“Sorry, but it’ll probably be better if you get in the back,” Victor says.

“Yeah, of course.” He explains how to draw the seat forward, and I clamber into the back. He sets Tegan onto the passenger seat and buckles her in. Her head lolls to the side. I’m really trying not to worry about her. Victor slams the door closed, comes around, and slides into the driver’s seat. Turning on the engine, he heads out. The streets are empty as he expertly maneuvers around debris. I’m not surprised that he’s skilled at driving. I’m starting to think that there’s nothing he can’t do.

As we get closer to downtown, more lights hold back the shadows, and a few people are out. I’m not sure if they’re being brave, or—like me—just being stupid. I can’t believe Tegan and I were so reckless. She yawns, moans, stretches.

“Is she waking up?” I ask.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Accelerating, Victor turns down a street, whips into an alley. We’re lost for a minute in the blackness. Then we’re back on a dimly lit street. A few minutes later, he’s pulling to a stop within heavy shadows. I can see my apartment building. Good idea not to park where the guard in the lobby could see us.