Blood Work (16 page)

The old fella
was quiet for a while. We strolled around a fountain, clean, clear
water splashing cool drops across my face.

“You broke
her, in other words.” His tone was quiet, contemplative, not at all
accusatory.

“I guess.” I
didn’t like remembering those days, weeks… months. I hated myself
for what I put her through, what I intentionally did to hurt her,
to punish her. The previous morning had been an action replay of
that time, for both of us. She would throw herself against the bars
of her cage and I would throw myself against the knives of my own
morality.

“Mercy’s—” I
air quoted, “—‘humanity’ is nothing more than a series of trained
responses. She doesn’t understand why when someone introduces
themselves to her she should respond in kind, but she does it.”

“But isn’t
everyone’s ‘humanity’ just a series of trained responses? A child
isn’t born knowing how to interact with other children. He must
watch and learn as he grows up, is guided in what is appropriate
and what is not by his parents.”

“Yes, but
eventually he comes to understand why this is appropriate and that
isn’t. Mercy doesn’t.”

“And you’re
basing your opinions on vampires in general on Mercy, an admittedly
freakish anomaly?”

Bugger. I
hated it when my working parameters where shown to be faulty. “It’s
kinda hard to study other vampires. They aren’t mountain gorillas
and I ain’t Diane Fosey. They don’t exactly sit around in social
groups just so I can nut out their ecology.”

“But you do
admit that your theorems are skewed because of your study group’s
bias?”

I didn’t want
to agree out loud, so I did a little, vague shrug that could go
either way.

“You have much
to learn about vampires, my young friend,” Aurum said. “Last night
you faced a colonel of the Reds. An elder. He’s at least 300 years
old. That’s 150 times Mercy’s age, in terms of the years she’s been
turned. Do you think you killed him?”

I gritted my
teeth. “He was one of the ones that got away?”

“I don’t know.
I only know two survived, not which two. Do you think he
survived?”

The sight of
Big Red’s face sizzling under the paint came back to me. Part of
one cheek had been burned away, flesh hung in strips from his jaw,
but he’d been upright when I took out his balls. In less time than
that, my Holy water paint had melted the face and brain of a baby
vampire the previous night.

“He probably
did.” It cost me to say it.

“I can’t be
certain, but I would say he was the only opponent of substance you
faced last night. The rest were probably less than half a century
old. Very fragile in comparison.”

“Way to make a
guy feel butch.”

Aurum patted
my shoulder. “Four Reds, even young ones, is no small matter. Don’t
let me make you feel bad. But this is something you need to know if
you’re to survive. Things will only get tougher for you and Mercy
from here on in.”

I shoved my
hands through my hair. “Why will it get tough now? We’ve been at
this for a year and nothing much has changed.”

“Mr Hawkins,
there are many warriors around the world who work as you do,
battling vampires and other supernatural beasts in their territory.
Some few who have managed to be as successful as you,
comparatively. And in every case, there has come a saturation point
where the vampires are suddenly forced to take active notice of
this warrior. The number of their dead rises above what they
believe to be acceptable levels.”

Boy oh boy.
Wishing I’d worn the brown pants instead. “And me and Mercy have
hit that point?”

“If not, then
you are very close to it. The vampire eyes of this city have now
turned toward you. Their pounce is not that far away.”

“And this is
why you’re here? To warn me?”

He nodded.
“Among other things.”

“Oh that’s
right. You wanted to study me and Mercy.”

“Have you
changed your mind regarding that, knowing what you now know?”

I considered
it. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. He might be able to help me smooth
out some of the rough edges. But it didn’t taste right, thinking
about someone else watching us, interacting with us on that sort of
intimate level. Me and Mercy, well, we were me and Mercy. Roberts
got to play occasionally. He’d found his own little sidecar on the
rollercoaster ride that was the Mercy Express, but that was
different. He wasn’t poking his nose into our business. He didn’t
give me his opinions on how to handle her. And I never did develop
that knack for taking advice with any sort of grace, even well
intentioned advice.

“I don’t think
so,” I said. “I’ll listen to what you can tell me about the
vampires, but I wouldn’t be comfortable with you too close to
Mercy. She’s a bit unpredictable with strangers.”

“I can take
care of myself.”

“I’m sure you
can. I just wouldn’t want you to take such good care of yourself
you jabbed a stake through her heart.”

He gave me
that indulgent smile again. My inner school boy glowed.

“I
understand.” Aurum grew serious again. “You said before that the
Reds came to you in peace last night. What did they want?”

“Your
mysterious intelligence gathering system didn’t whisper that goodie
in your ear? I’m disappointed.”

With a little
sigh, he said, “My means are not foolproof.”

Ah ha! A chink
in his superiority complex. Crap. Who was I kidding? It wasn’t a
complex, it was a reality.

“They never
came right out and said it. Too busy letting fly with the same old
same old tough talking routine. That alone should lend credence to
my theory about them not really understanding what they were
doing.”

Aurum
chuckled. “If you’ve been around as long as I suspect that colonel
has, everything becomes the ‘same old same old’. But you know what
they wanted, don’t you.”

Hands shoved
in my pockets, I hunched my shoulders. “Not too hard to figure
out.”

“Mercy.”

“She’s strong
and a lot more mentally stable than most of them. She’d be a great
addition to any team.” I frowned. “But if what you told me
yesterday is at all true, she needs me to operate on that level,
doesn’t she? So if she was to be any sort of benefit to them, they
need me as well. They turn me so I answer to their higher ranks,
and therefore Mercy becomes their G.I. Jane.”

“And you would
become nigh unto immortal.”

Now that right
there stopped me dead in my tracks. I glared at him. He almost
sounded wistful. What the…? I gathered up my wits and forced a
half-hearted bark of laughter.

“Until some
idiot comes along, thinking he’s all that, and slaps my arse down
in a paddling pool of Holy water. Besides, becoming a soul sucking
fiend of the night, especially of the Red flavour?” I shuddered. “I
can’t do winter wear in summer.”

“But you
wouldn’t know the difference would you. Does Mercy remember her
life before the turn?”

Talk about a
sucker punch. I resumed walking, leaving him to catch up. “She used
to, at the beginning. It tore her up, remembering what it was like
to be normal, trying to reconcile that with the new and interesting
hungers. At first, she was disgusted with herself for wanting the
blood. Then she became disgusted with her memories of thinking
blood as a food source was disgusting. Then she just forgot it all
and now there’s no hesitation, no questioning. She is what she
is.”

Aurum nodded
and we walked in silence for a while. The sun was starting to dip
down toward the tops of the high rises in the middle of the city.
All the plants around us created a cool, shadowy haven. I let my
mind wander a bit, going over everything he’d told me, shying away
from that moment where he seemed almost eager about the idea of
becoming a vampire. I mean, ick.

“This colonel
guy, Big Red,” I said, still furiously thinking through this scary
new prospect. “You really think he’s blowing out 301 candles on his
cake next year?”

“Thereabouts.
Only a creature of substantial age has enough, as you call them,
trained responses to act with a modicum of normalcy. I would posit
Big Red did all of the talking.” He smiled as he used the name I’d
given the giant.

“He did. I
don’t usually get into situations with vampires that involve a lot
of talking.”

“It’s not
often a creature of that potency involves itself in affairs dealing
with humans. I’m not surprised you haven’t encountered one quite
like him. His rank is usually confined to matters of war.”

“The war
between the clans?”

“There are
skirmishes with other supernatural elements, as well.” Aurum
slanted me a sideways glance. I could almost see his eyes in the
dark behind his glasses. “There is a whole world out there you know
nothing about, my boy.”

I grimaced.
“Yeah, about that. Can you get me any contacts in your loose
circle? I have some acquaintances who would really love the chance
to find out more.”

“It doesn’t
work that way. I’ll pass your name and location on and it will be
up to them to contact you. For reasons I’m sure you understand,
they don’t exactly advertise their lifestyle choices. Whom they
have contact with is always their choice.”

I grudgingly
ceded the point.

“So, what is
your next move against Big Red?”

“I don’t know.
He’s not going to stop coming after us, is he?”

Aurum smiled
this grim little number that sent shivers down my spine. “No. You
bloodied his nose last night.”

“Not to
mention other parts of his anatomy,” I muttered. “My best bet is to
take him out ASAP. Hit him while he’s hurting.”

“Smart idea.
You will, of course, need to know where his base of operations
is.”

“HQ, eh? Can
your spies help me out on that score?”

We’d circled
all the way back to the entrance. The gazebo was now empty but the
open greens were starting to attract kids of all ages in all types
of school uniforms.

“I’m afraid I
cannot help you with that.”

“Some Kenobi
you’re turning out to be.”

A grey eyebrow
arched up. “I hardly think Kenobi would have spoon fed his
apprentice when the alternatives would lead to growth and
developing strength and understanding.”

“No fair. You
aren’t allowed to turn my own amusing allegory back on me like
that.”

“Then think of
a better allegory.”

I was scuffing
my foot along the path before I even realised. Scowling at my
subconscious need for approval from this guy, I grumbled, “You
weren’t out here about sixteen years ago, teaching in a high school
up north, were you?”

“No. Why?”

“You just
remind me of someone I used to know.”

Well blow me
down if his smile didn’t turn smug.

“I have that
effect on people. Now, do you have a means of finding out Big Red’s
location?”

We stopped by
the gates of the garden. I squinted into the dropping sun through
my shades. I still had a couple of hours to get back to Mercy. Time
enough to swing by Kermit’s place.

“Yeah, I have
an ear I can put to the ground, and nail it there until its owner
hears something worthwhile.”

“Quaint.”
Aurum glanced at a wrist watch that was undoubtedly more expensive
than my own, and I’d paid a small, unimportant, very distantly
removed member of the royal family’s ransom for mine. “I have other
business I must attend to, Mr Hawkins. Do let me know how you go
with tracking down Big Red.”

He was walking
away before I’d even opened my mouth. I just saluted, in that Third
Reich, oh look, here’s the big man with the little moustache,
manner. If he noticed, he didn’t show it.

I leaned
against the gatepost for a moment. Somewhere deep inside there was
a little voice suggesting very heartily that I pack Mercy up in the
boot of the car and skedaddle right this very minute. A 300 year
old vampire was apparently now gunning for me. He’d caught a
paintball balloon of Holy water with his face and took it like a
man. Of course, he’d then scarpered. Coward. Or it was a very
strategic retreat.

More parts of
me started chiming in on the get-out-of-town option. I wanted to
listen to them, honestly. I’d listened once and run for my life.
Didn’t work. The past just kept right in there, hanging on my tail
like a huge carbuncle full of pusy grief.

I straightened
and walked to my car. I wasn’t going to run. I’d see this through
to the end. Who’s ever end it might be.

Matthew Hawkins’ address was a
duplex in east Ipswich, situated halfway up a quiet, very nearly
vertical street overcrowded with eucalypts. Kids played in front
yards, birds squawked in the trees and from somewhere close by, a
game show was being played at high volume. Every time the audience
applauded an equally loud voice cheered on the contestant.

“Nice
neighbourhood,” Ivan said as they got out of the car. “I wonder if
they know Hawkins’ history.”

“Everyone’s
got to live somewhere, even ex-cons.” Erin studied the duplex. It
was a low set brick place with a shared driveway between the two
units and neat yard bare of garden beds. Hawkins had Unit 2, and
the curtains were drawn and the front door closed. “Doesn’t look
like anyone’s home.”

“Or like he’s
pretending he’s not home. You do kinda look like a JW.”

Smoothing down
her grey suit skirt, Erin glared at him. “Like he’s going to
mistake me for a JW with you by my side.”

Ivan’s T-shirt
proclaimed ‘I’m Prettier Than Your Girlfriend. And You Know It’. He
just grinned at her.

“Let’s go
knock.”

Erin had her
hand raised to knock when the door to Unit 1 opened. A sweet faced,
grey haired lady stepped out.

“You looking
for young Matthew?” she asked, eyes narrowing.