Created (Book 1 of the Created) (25 page)

Veronica was hurt at my harmless question. "This is a
1968,
LeMans
Blue SS 396 Camaro. The perfect blend of
American initiative, appropriate amount of muscle and splendid styling that
defined great muscle cars of the twentieth century. If that explanation is not
good enough then your ass can walk the twenty miles to the hunting grounds. I
know you are fast, but why run when you can ride in style."

Veronica was firmly behind the steering wheel as the
convertible top was lowered into place. "So are you getting in?"

I hurried to the passenger side door and waited before
remarking.

Veronica turned the ignition and the V8 roared to life. The
effect of the roaring eight cylinders was amplified as it exploded from the
exhaust and echoed off of the walls of the empty warehouse. My driver took full
advantage of the horsepower by forcing the Camaro to begin to smoke the tires
as the engine was revved high and higher. A glint in her eye, Veronica let
loose the Detroit demon under the cover of greasy smoke emanating from the rear
tires.

We were hurled toward the far end of the building when she
turned the wheels hard to the left, spinning us around then righted the car
facing the exterior wall where we had started. Depressing a button on a remote
that was hanging from the sun visor overhead, there was a single creak of
aluminum siding being forced by machinery out of place. The wall moving exposed
a dirt road comprised of red clay and freedom for the night.

We shot from the warehouse down the road for about twenty
miles it seemed before she stopped the car along a ditch along a field thickly
lined by a forest. Carefully, she slid from the car, shutting the door quietly.
I joined her shortly as she began to stealthy proceed onto the plowed earth of
the field. She squatted down and motioned for me to get down beside her.

I tapped her on the shoulder before I leaned into her to
whisper in her ear. "What are we doing?"

Veronica put a finger to her lips then pointed to the tree
line to our right. I scanned the open area in front of the trees roughly
halfway down the length of the field until a point that was two miles away.
There was nothing there.

She made sure that I located what she was pointing toward.
When I acknowledged that I hadn't seen anything by shaking my head no, Veronica
took my hand, interlocking her fingers with mine on top. Extending her arm in
the direction in which she was directing me, she pulled me into her. The skin
of our cheeks touched as we looked down range at something that still was not
in view. She was so soft and smooth. Veronica actually seemed to be enjoying
this moment. She almost seemed human.

The soft pop of a fallen twig snapping alerted me to the
presence of three deer. The deer wandered into the field with their heads held
high, sniffing for several feet cautiously before relaxing enough to nibble at
the nearby plants.

Veronica gave me the signal to stay quiet and follow her. We
crept low to the ground, in between the rows of crops, until we were within
striking distance. She pointed at me, and then held aloft three fingers to
denote how far over into other rows I should go. Once I demonstrated my
understanding of her instructions Veronica pointed to her hand. She used her
fingers in a countdown fashion until she reached the number five. On the number
five, we were to erupt from our hiding spot and take down the deer nearest to
either one of us.

The plan was flawed in my opinion because I had never taken
out another creature for the purpose of food that could run away. I knew by
design I was supposed to be a killer, and I had murdered John in self-defense,
yet this was new and foreign to me. I didn't complain as I gave her thumbs up
and moved to my row.

We waited as the skittish animals became more acclimated to
the sounds of the night. A half hour passed as we lay in wait. The deer were no
match for my strength or speed if I wanted to take on the kill. My impatience
grew the longer we waited as did my renewed desire to kill. There was
nervousness within. Peeking at Veronica, she sat motionless on the ground, her
eyes closed.

Seeing her act so disinterested at the animals before us, I
alternated watching her and the deer. Her actions had at first confounded me,
but slowly they had calmed me. So we watched and waited, albeit impatiently on
my behalf, as the deer grazed only yards away.

A silent motion from Veronica had awakened me from my trace
of watching the deer peacefully eat, unaware the ultimate predator was stalking
the small herd. My attention on full alert, I rose from my crouch as did she.
Using her hand as a pointer, she picked out which two would be the prime
candidate to pursue. Instructions over, Veronica began the countdown with one
then progressed until four of her fingers were denoted. Checking to see if I
was ready, the fifth was raised quickly when she saw my state of near delirium.

Springing from hiding, the two of us tore toward the deer
with surprising glee. In devastating fashion, Veronica knocked her selected doe
to the ground then pounced in one action. The deer was dead before it could
have ever reacted to the vicious attack.

My deer turned away and took two steps before I grabbed its
rear legs and threw it to the soft black dirt of the field. The deer struggled
as I clumsily restrained it in order to guide my mouth to the muscular neck.
Finding the proper location to dine was guided by my senses as I could smell
the blood coursing through the excited animal’s veins making me hunt in
earnest. As the teeth sank in, the deer relented and passively accepted her
fate. Soon my hunger was satisfied as large amounts of warm, fresh blood filled
my stomach.

The heartbeat of the doe stopped as I drained the gentle
animal of her last drop of life force. The blood had not been the same as Darby
or
Sunnie
, but it was deliciously warm. Its warmth
and the pleasure of actually taking the life from a creature so I could live
toyed with my thoughts. Collapsing backward, I knew I was momentarily blood
drunk. The feeling was amazing. My body felt alive, tingling perhaps even a
small amount aroused as I gazed upon Veronica.

She finished her deer slowly trying to savor the flavor.
Smiling as she separated from the deer, Veronica licked her lips clean, leaving
small missed traces above and below her mouth. Inside of me there was a
stirring to want to kiss her lips. She was so mystifyingly sensuous. The
thought of crawling across the dirt to taste the blood from her succulent, red
stained mouth repeated a couple of times. I watched her seat back on the cool
earth which allowed her hair to caress her shoulders, making her even more
incredibly beautiful than I had previously recognized. Her black corset
stretched tightly and strained across her buxom body as she lay down upon the
drained deer.
  

We stared across the still growing crops as we both felt the
fullness of the quenching of our hunger. There was a different feeling in the
air. It was a chemistry I had never noticed and it made me uneasy.

Veronica softly spoke, "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah," I replied.

I couldn't stop leering at her soft white flesh.

"I was worried from your state at the house that I
might have waited too late to take you out and let you get a chance to drink.
We are closer to the real vampires that permeate the films and books of
American culture than any of the previous generations, but we have a small
genetic anomaly that burdens us with the need to feed often from live donors.
The blood bags that we keep in our house keep us sane and satisfied to an
extent. We cannot afford the luxury of our brethren that can be sustained with
the blood provided by the base and the monthly feeding. Once we feed on human
blood for the first time, as you did the other weekend, then we must
continuously feed or risk going rogue."

"I am assuming that rogue is a bad thing." I
closed my eyes and felt the breeze against my freshly hydrated skin.

She adjusted her head against the deer's belly. "Yes,
rogue is bad. Imagine developing a thirst and desire to kill every living
being, whether human or human made, that crossed your path.
A
being not born of evil, but of constant thirst.
The government doesn't
necessarily see this as bad. A vampire behind enemy lines wiping out every last
living being is a dream come true. The intended purpose for which we were
created: The perfect killing machine. We are almost indestructible, lusting for
the kill and are inexpensive since we can be converted from any dead body. The
loyalty factor is out the window and this makes the rogue usable, but
expendable. That is not the level of vampire achievement unto which we need to
aim for obvious reasons."
 

Moving across the rows to lay beside Veronica, I playfully
pushed her over to create room for me. "Scoot over."

She smiled and slid over.

Vampire or not, I admired the fact that Veronica was a girl
that wasn't afraid to get dirty or violent. I wondered how much of her personality
was a remnant of her life as human and how much was a construct of the virus
that was raging inside of us. This was thought that the last two days had
bothered me about myself and the others of our group.

We both lay and looked upward at the cloudless, starry night
above us.

I felt Veronica shift to face me. "You ok? Your first
official hunt was a success. I have brought others out here and they failed
miserably, especially Darby. She was so cute chasing her deer.
 
Must have chased her deer for an hour before
the poor thing finally gave out, her not the deer."

"It is nothing really. I wonder what life was like
before we were all transformed. Who are we really type of thoughts have been
bothering me. More or less, I have wondered how much of is real and how much is
the virus molding me into a predator. Everything is too surreal. I know odd
facts and details about politics and television shows that I can't remember
watching."

Veronica rolled back over. "Is that all? The human part
of us will always question the reality of which was built for us when we are
given a life as a vampire. Since the beginning, mortal humans have wondered why
they existed and whether or not they matter or if there was a God or why their
loved ones have to die."

Trying not to be a jackass I retorted. "I get it. I am
feeling the same things that everybody feels, human or otherwise."

"You are the most uptight vampire I have known. Ethan,
it is ok to have these questions just don't let them burden you. You are
immortal for the most part. Enjoy life. More importantly, enjoy being
you."

She was right. It never ceased to amaze me how wise this
young girl beside me was. I was lucky to have such a friend who could lead me
through the treacherous duplicity of my life.

"Veronica," I inquired, "How were we allowed
off base so easily?"

"Chadron and the U.S. need us to be highly trained and
effective. During the summer months of next year, we will undergo extensive
language and combat training. The buildings from which we departed are part of
the specialized training center. An added perk of being our generation's leader
there is an inherent level of trust between the project developers and me. I am
allowed limited, but monitored access to materials, including cars.
Occasionally mini missions such as the one tonight are green lighted to keep us
happy and tethered to the world outside the confines of the fence while also
teaching basic survival to my newer counter parts."

I watched a small bird flutter across the horizon. "So
my hunting tonight was a training session?"

"More or less," she replied, sitting up and half
turning toward me, her hair fell across her eyes.

Brushing the hair away, she continued. “I also look at this
as an opportunity to escape and pretend to be a normal kid. What teenager
doesn't want freedom? Tonight we are just a semi-normal boy and semi-normal
girl lying in a field gazing at the beautiful night sky."

I contemplated what she said and about the night. "Is
this a one-time thing then?"

Veronica gazed upon me. I could feel the intensity of her
eyes as she searched for the answer.

"Whenever you need to come out here we can," she
answered affectionately.

The roar of the rising sun was hours away as we looked at
each other in the yellow glow of the moon.

Reaching for her hand, I took it tenderly in mine, "Lay
back down and tonight lets be normal."

Veronica lay down her head on my chest with her dark hair
spilling across me as I pulled her closer.
 

"Do you text or chat?"
Sunnie
asked cheerfully as we stood beside her open locker.

The question made me decidedly uncomfortable. I was issued a
phone by the government, but it was to be used in case of emergencies at best,
and at worst I was sure it was monitored, so privacy would be out of the
question. She knew I had a phone because she had seen the relic and had
commented as much. My options were slim. I could lie and say no, which seemed
doable and possibly believable and wasn't a total lie unto itself. Changing the
subject would be an appropriate step, or I could just remain silent and hope
the two minutes remaining until the bell went fast.

I chose the half-truth approach. "I would love to, but
I don't have a computer and my parents won't allow me to text anymore since I
had like two thousand in a week."

"Oh, I was hoping we could talk more than just here at
school".

She seemed dejected, if not totally heartbroken.
 

I over reached badly. "Maybe we can spend some together
outside of school then."

Her demeanor changed completely which was evident from the
huge smile on her face and the excited kiss she gave me on my cheek. "I
have got to go to class, and you do too, or we will both be late. We can talk
about it later today."