Heart of the Dead: Vampire Superheroes (Perpetual Creatures Book 1) (21 page)

They fell into the trees, the thick branches reaching out to slow their decent. Each blow caused Jerusa to cry out, though, to be honest, it didn’t hurt as much as she had expected. She kept her body positioned so that she took the full impact of the ground to her back. They slid a ways through the leaves and moss and scrub bushes, and somehow managed not to tangle into a knot of arms and legs.

The dull fire in Jerusa’s back vanished as her wounds rapidly healed. She lay looking up at the few stars visible through the canopy as Thad panted against her chest. He put his hands on the ground as though unsure if it would be there, then pushed himself up and stared down at her.

A blush filled his cheeks as he realized he was on top of her, but he didn’t move. And she didn’t want him to, either.

“How did you do that?” His hair was tussled and covered in bits of leaves. A fine layer of beard stubble dusted his face, making him look more man than boy. He smiled and it seemed brighter to her than any moon she had ever seen drift through the sky.

“I don’t know. It all just seems like second nature to me now.”

Thad reached over and brushed the hair from her face. “That was incredible. Thank you.”

“So does this mean you still want to take me to prom?” Such a stupid question. What did a pointless high school dance matter after all they had been through? Still, they might all be dead soon, and truth be told, she wanted to go to that pointless dance with him.

Thad let his forehead drift down to hers. “Of course, assuming we both survive that long,” he said, picking the thought from her mind.

The sound of twisting metal and terrified screams filled the night. Jerusa pushed Thad off of her and jumped to her feet.

“What was that?” Thad backed away in no certain direction, scanning the shadow-drenched forest with wide eyes.

Jerusa’s enhanced hearing caught much more than just the door of the pickup truck being torn open or the man within calling out in fear. She heard it all.

“Kole has the man in the truck.” She turned, grabbed Thad by the arm, and pulled him in the opposite direction. “Come on. We have to find the others.”

Alicia appeared in front of her, luminous as a lily in the moonlight, and beckoned for Jerusa to follow her. The ghost darted around, skipping from place to place as she often did. She seemed to be aware that Jerusa could see every tree, rock, hill, or hole in her path even though the forest was near pitch black.

After a few minutes, Jerusa caught the subtle sound of fast, nimble feet rushing to meet them. Foster and Shufah emerged from the shadows, silent as the lingering dead. Without a word, Foster grabbed up Thad, placing him on his back, piggyback-style, and motioned for Jerusa to follow.

Shufah led the way. They ran through the forest at incredible speed and Jerusa was thrilled to find she could keep up, could actually go faster if she so desired. There was danger looming somewhere in the shadows behind them, she understood this, even so, she couldn’t help but let a tiny laugh escape her. She had never felt so free, physically and spiritually. She wanted to spring into the air, latch onto the massive trunk of a tree and climb it to the highest bough. She wanted to run faster, pressing her body until it ached, until the entire world dissolved into a blur. She wanted to explore the deepest and most dangerous jungles, search for cities long ago forgotten, touch the uppermost peaks of mountains, sail treacherous seas. And, strangest of all, Jerusa wanted to turn and face the savage Kole, to meet him in battle with nothing but her hands and fangs, and rend him to pieces.

Legends and myths had long ago dubbed vampires as the undead, but in her mind, nothing could be further from the truth. Jerusa didn’t feel dead. She was more alive now than she had ever been in her old life. If anything, humans were the true undead. Jerusa was revived, rejuvenated, resurrected.

A sobering realization dropped into Jerusa’s mind, shattering the romantic image of her new powers like a brick dropped upon a glass table. The laugh died in her throat, the smile wilted on her face.

Nothing in this world came without consequence. Every act, every decision, no matter how large or small bore a price tag. Jerusa understood this better than most. She could see the spirits of the lingering dead, a talent that many longed to possess. But the truth was that this ‘gift’, more times than not, felt like a burden.

Jerusa had spent most of her childhood waiting out the night, wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, attempting to hide from the strange visitors that entered her room. She learned long ago that it was best not to speak of this to her mother, or anyone else. Her ‘gift’ had caused her many lonely days. Even after Alicia had appeared and chased away the other spirits, even when she had confided her hidden talent to Foster, she still felt like the odd one in the crowd.

She had always placed the blame of being shunned by the group on a misunderstanding of her poor health. She had used the scar upon her chest as a scapegoat. It wasn’t that at all. They had sensed the difference in her, and it had brought about a subconscious reviling, even in Jerusa’s own mother.

How much more of an outcast to the human race was she now? Jerusa looked human, could act human, but sooner or later, they would sniff her out, see her for a fraud, and banish her all over again.

Jerusa tried to take hope in that at least she wasn’t alone. Even if the human race ostracized her, she could still turn to other vampires. She wanted to believe that. That the other vampires would accept her, but she could still see spirits — though Alicia had been the only ghost she had seen since her change. According to Shufah, when a medium became a vampire, always before, the gift of sight was lost. Once again, Jerusa was different. And vampires, like humans, didn’t seem to appreciate much variety … at least not her kind. Hadn’t Shufah warned her to keep any special talents hidden? Hadn’t Foster looked upon her with pity once she had confessed before the others?

What would the mysterious and enigmatic Stewards have to say when Jerusa was brought before them? She tried not to think about it, tried to focus her mind on the danger rampaging somewhere behind her, but it would not leave her. Someday, if Kole did not kill her first, she would have to face the Stewards and all of their laws. It would be to them that she would pay the price, not just for her vampiric blood or her second sight, but for the splinter of change she had inadvertently carried into their world.

They broke from the forest into a long clearing. Wild flowers stood waist-high, reaching up for the stars like acolytes in a pagan cult. And standing in the midst, bathed in moon-and-starlight, were Suhail and Taos.

Shufah ran up to her twin and embraced him, though it was short and cold.

“Are you both well?” she asked. “You weren’t bitten were you?”

“We are fine,” Suhail assured her. “He did not touch us.” He looked down at the rips in his clothes. “This is from fleeing through the forest.”

“Why did you two not wait? Why did you search for Kole without us?”

“We didn’t. We were traveling to our rendezvous point and just happened upon him.”

Jerusa didn’t believe Suhail’s story. She couldn’t explain why, though. Something in his stance, hands straight down at his side, as though it were a struggle to keep from fidgeting. And something in his eyes, as well, the way they would flick to Taos whenever Shufah would look away.

But why would Suhail lie to his sister? What would he have to gain?

“We should have figured he would still be close by,” Shufah said. “With the storm and his injuries, it makes sense that he would want to hole up and regenerate. But he’ll be on the move now. We should go before he catches up to us.”

“Wait,” Jerusa said. “We know where he is right now. If we leave, he could end up anywhere. Kill another innocent person.”

“So?” Taos asked.

“So why don’t we go right now and kill him?”

Taos stepped toward her, his eyes almost glowing in the moonlight. “And how would you suggest we do that, might I ask? Shall we throw rocks at Kole? Or jab at him with pointed sticks? I know that you survived his savage bite, but I don’t have some mythical guardian watching over me. I’m in no hurry to test my strength against his.”

“But there are five of us.” Jerusa felt a bit guilty about not including Thad in her count, but he wouldn’t stand a chance against Kole. In all likelihood, neither would she. “Together, we can overpower him.”

Taos clenched his teeth and released a hiss. “It never ceases to amaze me just how little you know. You’re in over your head, fledgling. If you feel you can best Kole with your bare hands, by all means, go to him. I’m sure he would very much enjoy opening your skull, even if the prize within is less than to be desired. I, however, am not getting within an arm’s length of Kole until we have a means to destroy his remains.”

Taos’s words hurt worse than being slapped in the face. She bit her quivering lip and willed her misting eyes to dry up. She would not let him see that he had hurt her. She would not give him that power over her. Jerusa didn’t quite understand what Taos meant by “means to destroy his remains,” but she didn’t have the courage right now to ask.

Shufah turned to her with that gentle and knowing look, as though she could feel the pain echoing through the hallow chambers of Jerusa’s heart. “Taos, though despicable and rude, is right. We cannot face Kole as we are.”

Shufah must have read the objection in Jerusa’s eyes, for she motioned for her to be patient.

“I understand your concerns,” she continued. “But nothing can be done about it right now. It is clear that the blood of your strange friend, Silvanus, has worked in you a remarkable change. Like I said before, I’ve never seen a fledgling quite like you, but I highly doubt it has inoculated you to another of Kole’s bite. And we certainly aren’t immune. All it takes is for Kole to break our flesh and the savage virus will transmit without failure. Fledglings, like you and Foster, would turn savage right away. Suhail and I might be able to fight on for a while, but eventually, it would overtake us as well.”

Jerusa nodded that she understood. Foster motioned for Thad to get on his back. He did as bidden, but did so without his previous urgency. Thad was so tall that even with Foster hooking him behind the knees his feet still nearly touched the ground. An image of a giraffe hitching a ride on a zebra came to mind and Jerusa fought back a spasm of dark laughter — the kind that only comes when you are too afraid to cry.

They rushed through the forest in single file with Shufah in the lead and Taos taking up the rear. Their speed was unimaginable. No natural creature on Earth could move as they moved. Thad buried his head in Foster’s back, as much to shield his face from whipping limbs as to stave off the inevitable motion sickness. Twice, on their journey, they had to stop so Thad could vomit. Shufah and Foster were kind and understanding, Taos complained as though he were being forced to tend to a daycare, Suhail kept his own quiet counsel, and Jerusa just did her best not to make eye contact with Thad.

They covered a great distance in a short time, making their way back into town just a little before eleven p.m. It was a week night and not many were out on the streets, but even so, they avoided others as best they could. Suhail, Taos, and Jerusa all three had tattered, grass and mud stained clothes. The last thing they wanted was to draw any attention.

“Should I call someone about my Jeep?” Thad’s voice was dreamy and distant again. “Maybe I should call and report it stolen so the police don’t come looking for me when they find it crashed near . . .” He couldn’t finish the sentence.

Jerusa watched him carefully. Something was wrong. He swayed on his feet as though dizzy and his lips were pale and dry. She was amazed at how much her new senses told her. His blood sugar was low, he was slightly dehydrated, and he was now coming down from the adrenaline high.

Thad stumbled and would have fallen straight back had Jerusa not rushed over to catch him. The others glanced at her with disapproving shock for revealing her speed in the open. But no one was around to witness the act, so Jerusa shook it off.

“Thad needs some water,” she said, looking to Foster. “And something to eat, too.”

Shufah took Thad from Jerusa’s arms. She motioned to an all-night diner down the street. “Foster and I will take Thad there. You three stay here, out of sight.” She looked to Taos. “Behave yourself.”

Taos smiled and bowed. “Of course, Your Highness,” he said, mocking her.

Jerusa followed Suhail and Taos into the dark alley between a bar named The Peg Leg and a Mexican restaurant that was closed for the night. They stood in the shadows, not quite hidden from the occasional passerby, but shrouded enough to mask what they were. Alicia materialized and paced in the space between Jerusa and the others.

Alicia was no longer luminous as she had been in the forest, but appeared now as she always had. Light and shadow played on her, covering her one moment, revealing her the next just as if she were corporeal. The only thing that marked her as a ghost in Jerusa’s sight was the fact that she did not cast a shadow herself.

Alicia watched Taos and Suhail with a locked jaw and squinted eyes. Her stance was that of a soldier preparing to rush the enemy. She had the body of a hobbit with the tenacity of a troll. Jerusa was happy she was here. Not just here in the alley, keeping her company while she endured the malignant stares of Taos or the bemused glances of Suhail. No, Jerusa was happy that the vampire spirit hadn’t stolen Alicia away from her as it had apparently done for countless mediums before her.

“What’s so funny?”

Jerusa glanced around Alicia and noticed Taos still staring at her. “Nothing.”

“Something has you tickled.” He leaned against the rustic brick wall, standing on one foot with the other pulled under him. “A person doesn’t just smile like that over nothing. Is it me? Did I do something amusing?”

“I doubt that’s one of your talents.” Jerusa’s face burned. She clenched her hands hard enough for the nails to bite into her palms.

Taos laughed, but there was no humor in it, like the call of a hyena. “I wonder if you will be smiling when I finish off the last of your boyfriend’s blood and set his remains ablaze. Will you laugh at me then?”