Evil Red (3 page)

“I’
ll
stand.
”

“Very well. I can see you’re anxious for answers.
That is what Agent Crist and I are here to give you.” Melcher
placed both arms on top of his desk and straightened up. “Were you
aware that you have type AB positive blood?”

Valerie never liked to admit that she didn’t know
something, especially about herself. “So?” she answered.

“It’s the rarest blood type in the world, right after
AB negative.”

“What does that have to do with being in Alaska?”

Melcher
smiled.
“Everything.”

The man had an uncanny way of never breaking eye
contact. Most people looked away from Valerie when she gave them
the death stare.

“How would you like to be a secret agent for the
government’s most elite department?”

Valerie unfolded her arms. Secret agent? So that’s
what all the military nonsense was for. Now this guy had her
attention. She relaxed her glare.

“We provide everything: training, weapons,
transportation, and housing, even a stipend for clothing and basic
necessities. All of your expenses are taken care of.”

Valerie refolded her arms. “What’s the catch?”

“You work for us eliminating targets.”

“You mean assassinating people?”

“Not people.”

Valerie squinted at the man. Okay, that made perfect
sense. Eliminate targets. Not people.

“Mind telling me what you mean?”

Melcher stared at her for several seconds before
standing. “I’d rather show you.” He turned to the woman. “Agent
Crist, is room 106 ready?”

She nodded once. “Everything is laid out and
waiting.”

“
Good.
”
Melcher walked past
Valerie.
“Please follow us, Miss Williams.”

“I’d like to make a phone call.”

Melcher frowned for the first time. “That’s not a
good idea.”

The hell it was. Everyone had to be wondering what
happened to her.

“Don’t worry about your family,”
Melcher said.
“We’ve spoken to them.”

Valerie couldn’t imagine how her mom and sisters
would react to some strange guy calling to tell them she’d been
attacked then abducted and sent to Alaska. This was one crazy ass
story she couldn’t wait to tell Babette and the girls at school. It
was like a movie only way better. Valerie was going to be a
legend.

“When do I go back to California?”

The agents exchanged looks.

“You’re not going back, Valerie,”
Melcher said.
“We need you here.”

“Like hell I’m not going back. My best friend,
boyfriend, sisters… mom, they’re all going out of their minds
wondering where I am.”

Melcher lowered his chin. “Your friends, your
family—they all think you’re dead.”

Valerie’s jaw dropped. “What are you talking
about?”

“You were stabbed to death on the street,” Agent
Crist said matter-of-factly. She flipped open a file folder and
tossed a news clipping on her desk.

Valerie snatched it up, quickly reading the headline
and story. There it was. Valerie Williams, age seventeen, dead from
a fatal attack outside Club Hell.

The clipping shook in Valerie’s hand. An inexplicable
sense of delight came over her at seeing her name in print. Part of
her wanted to keep the clipping to show to friends, while another
part of her wanted to rip it in half. She tossed it back on the
desk.

“Obviously I’m not dead.”

“As far as your friends and family are concerned, you
are,”
Melcher said.

“And you would have been if we hadn’t stepped in,”
Crist said. “At least this way you get a chance to make something
of your life.”

“Excuse me?” Valerie snapped.

Melcher shot Crist a
warning look.

“Valerie, what Agent Crist is trying to say is that
you’ve been given an opportunity of a lifetime. We saved you so
that you could make a difference in the world. You have the chance
to prevent and avenge attacks like the one on yourself.”

Valerie’s jaw tightened at the mention of her attack.
“How?” she asked through clenched teeth.

“You’ll recall at the beginning of our conversation I
mentioned you have AB positive blood,”
Melcher said.
“This blood, when injected with our
special serum, is toxic to your targets—targets like the one who
attacked you. There’s no other way to say this—a vampire got to
you.”

It took Valerie a moment, but once she’d processed
that last bit of insanity, she snorted.

“Right, a vampire. Uh, huh.”

“I know it sounds farfetched, but what if I could
show you a vampire?”
Melcher
asked.

“
Then I
’d
say, let’s see this so-called vampire.”

Melcher
smiled.
“Thank you for being open minded.”

Yep, sure. This situation was getting more outrageous
by the second, and Melcher had Valerie’s full attention now. She
wanted to commit everything to memory for when she got the hell out
of there and repeated it to Babette.

Attacked by a vampire outside Club Hell. Killer
story. Literally.

Valerie followed Melcher out of the office, the woman
agent right behind her. Most of the military personnel they passed
kept their eyes averted, but Valerie shot them all defiant looks
per chance they glanced her way.

The further they walked, the more empty the hall
became until they reached an area that was only hallways and metal
doors. Valerie watched the numbers above the doors, counting down
to 106.

“Here we are,” Melcher said, stopping in front and
swiping a keycard through the card reader beside the handle. He
walked in first, holding the door open for Valerie and his bitchy
partner.

Valerie entered a small white-walled room with a
large rectangular mirror on one side. She tried not to flinch when
she saw how washed out her face looked. There was a metal table in
the very center of the room, topped with what looked like sharp
instruments. Valerie walked up to the table and looked down at the
weapons. There was pistol, shotgun, ax, knives, crossbow, and a
wooden stake, all carefully arranged. She picked up the handgun,
weighed it in her hand, and then set it back down.

“What’s all this for?” Valerie asked.

“We want you to kill the vampire we’re about to send
in,”
Melcher said.

Valerie raised a brow. “Seriously?”

“He’s dead serious,” Crist said.

“Feel free to use any of the weapons on the table,”
Melcher said.
“But first
I recommend you allow the creature to bite you. One taste of your
blood will send him into temporary shock. It’s much easier to
finish them off when they’re immobilized.”

Valerie placed a hand on her hip. “Well, then, what
are you waiting for? Send in the vampire.”

The sooner these freaks showed her what it is they
wanted her to see, the sooner Valerie could get out of these god
awful clothes and sneakers.

“We will be watching from the room next door,”
Melcher said, indicating the mirror against the wall.

“
So it
’s
just going to be me and the vampire?”

“That’
s
correct,
”
Melcher
said.

Valerie leaned forward on the balls of her foot. “And
you want me to kill him?”

“Yes.”

“What happens if I don’t?”

“If you don’t, he’ll try to kill you.” Melcher cocked
his head to the side. “Who would you rather it be?”

He walked away before Valerie had a chance to
answer.

“I believe we’re ready to begin,” Melcher said to
Crist.

She nodded and followed him to the entryway. Melcher
pulled the metal door open for Crist, turning his head. “If you
have any questions, ask. We’ll be able to hear you and answer. Your
test subject will be sent in momentarily. Good luck, Valerie. I
have faith in you.”

Yeah? Well, he could take his faith and shove it up
his tight little asshole. Leave it to Valerie to get kidnapped by a
secret division of the government. She’d always known she was meant
for great things, but this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.

As the door closed behind the agents, Valerie
snatched a knife off the table and stuffed it into her back pocket.
She picked the handgun back up, opened the chamber, and checked for
bullets. It was fully loaded. She snapped the chamber into place
and unlocked the safety. With that she walked over to the far wall
of the room, spread her legs shoulder width apart, and aimed at the
door.

Valerie glanced at the mirror.

“Ready.”

There was no reply.

She kept her arms steady. The gun weighed on her arms
as she waited, but she didn’t waver. There was a sudden knock right
before the metal door screeched open. A twenty-something man
stumbled in as the door slammed shut. The dude was skinny and a bit
pale, but who wouldn’t be in a place like Alaska? He righted
himself and faced the door. And there he remained standing, back to
Valerie, staring at the door as though it would open if he waited
long enough.

Some vampire. She lowered the gun as her arms
relaxed.

“Hey, you,” she called out.

The man turned more suddenly than she’d expected. His
eyes sparked to life when he saw her.

“
Blut
,” he said. “
Ich brauche Blut.
”

“
I don
’t
speak vampire,”
Valerie
retorted.

The man started walking toward her.

Valerie raised the gun.

“Stop! Stay where you are.”

The man kept advancing.

“I said stay where you are!”

“
Ich
brauche Blut,
” the man said back.

When he was three feet away from her, he reached for
her neck.

Not again. Valerie wouldn’t be a victim a second
time.

She pulled the trigger.

A deafening shot rang through the room. The man
looked down at his chest in confusion. Blood appeared in the cream
fabric of his shirt, spreading like an ink stain. A childlike smile
came over his lips.

“
Blut
,” he said, looking Valerie in the eyes
before falling to the floor.

Valerie stared down in horror. Mere seconds had
clouded the man’s eyes as they pointed at the ceiling, now
expressionless.

Everything had gone from bad to worse. Now Valerie
was most likely headed to jail. She glared at the mirror. “You made
me do it. You told me I had to!” She looked from the mirror to the
body and back. “This death is on your hands, not mine.”

There was no answer.

Valerie didn’t move from her spot. The gun shook in
her hand. She’d killed someone. She was a murderer.

It was self-defense! She warned the guy to stay away.
He was about to attack her. She had no choice.

The door opened and Agent Melcher walked in
first.

“
Well done,
Valerie.
”

Crist walked in behind him, followed by several young
men in military duds. Two of them grabbed the body. The others
gathered the weapons off the metal table. One walked over to
Valerie and, with an expressionless face, took the gun from her
hand. She didn’t try to hold on.

“Take the table, too,” Melcher instructed them.
“
And bring Roger.
”

The military men made no verbal answer, just went
about clearing the room until only Valerie, Melcher, and Crist
remained.

“Congratulations, Valerie. You killed your first
vampire.”

Valerie folded her arms across her chest. It helped
keep the shaking under control.

“He didn’t look like a vampire.”

Crist mimicked Valerie’s pose, arms folded. “This
isn’t Hollywood,” she said. “These are real vampires we’re dealing
with. They don’t sparkle. They don’t fly. And they don’t extend
their fangs or claws when they attack.”

“That’s right,” Melcher said, loose smile on his
lips. “It’s easier to pick out the ones that have gone crazy like
Mr. Schmidz, who you just laid to rest. But there are many more who
maintain their full mental abilities and those are the hardest to
identify.”

“Okay,” Valerie said slowly. “So now what?”

Melcher lifted his chin. “Now we bring in another
vampire.”

“What? No!”
Valerie cried out.
“I am not going through that
again.”

“I want you to see how your blood affects these
creatures. You took Shmidz out before you had a chance to witness
the toxin take hold.”

Valerie looked around the room. “You took away my
weapons.” Good thing she’d snatched the knife before the agents
saw.

“Don’
t
worry,
”
Melcher
said.
“This is only a demonstration. Agent Crist and I will
be in the room with you this time.”

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

“Bring him in,” Melcher called out.

Valerie braced herself. The door opened and a young
man roughly Val’s age was led inside in shackles. He was even
skinnier than the last dude and pale as a ghost. His hair, which
was desperately in need of a trim, covered his eyes the way he kept
his head bent.

Two young military men walked him in.

“
Hello,
Roger,
” Melcher called out cheerfully.

This agent was seriously wacked.

The dude didn’t answer. Valerie couldn’t blame
him.

“This is our latest recruit. We need you to bite
her.”

Before Valerie could protest, the guy looked up,
shooting daggers with his eyes at Melcher. “No.”

“We’ve got an entire blood bag waiting for you after
you do this.”

“You can keep your blood. I’m not going through that
agony again.”

Melcher nodded at one of Roger’
s guards.
“Release him.”

One soldier went to work unlocking and removing the
guy’s shackles while the other kept him in place.