Exsanguinate (16 page)

“Not to worry, Khaldon here will take you home.” Stovall seemed taken aback and waved his hand. “He needs to know where you live so he can keep a close watch out. Good night, Miss O’Cuinn. Take care of yourself . I’ll be in touch.”

* * *

I
t wasn’t
until Khaldon had us parked at my penthouse that I allowed my guard to stand down, and took in another deep breath. I sat in the passenger seat and didn’t move. How was I going to face my dad?

Khaldon broke the silence first. “I’m not going to lie to you. It’ll take a while before all this sinks in, Cheyenne.”

I just stared at him.

“You okay?”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to lose control and attack my father or my dog.”

“All right. C’mon, let’s get you settled. Your father will be fine. You consumed a considerable amount of bloodwine at the dinner. You should be well satiated for a few days.”

“How often do I need to consume? I don’t want to kill any more kids like that.” I popped open the car door handle. Anxious to get out of these pants and heels, I wanted to throw on shorts and a hoodie. “I’m conflicted. I feel terrible for killing those kids, but in other ways, it doesn’t bother me as much as it should. The human side to me is experiencing serious difficulties and disgust with this. The vampire side is completely indifferent to it. I’m not entirely sure what to do right now. Are you supposed to stay with me until I can be trusted?”

“No. Not necessarily. But I can if you want.” Khaldon put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure you have a ton of questions. I can help smooth some of those over if you like. But as far as the feedings go, no vampire is perfect. Many prefer live feedings over the bloodwines. I’ll show you how to find solace in dealing with your human emotions, and a better way to obtain your live blood, so you don’t have to kill anyone. Believe it or not, there is a whole human underground network which has devoted their lives to vampires. The movies aren’t always wrong.” He winked at me.

I pushed the button beckoning the elevator to take us to my penthouse. The ride in the lift seemed as if it would never end as an awkward silence wedged in between us.

My key snicked in the deadbolt and prompted me to scan my thumb print into the digital reader. The internal lock tumbled away as the door opened. I turned my head and looked at Khaldon. “How did you guys get into my apartment without me? The locks are programmed for four digital prints. None of you had access.”

“I believe Amicula took an impression of your thumb print while you were in fugue. We needed to make sure everything was all right at your house.”

I made a mental note to change security to a retinal scanner.

I opened the door. “Daddy? Daddy, are you here?” I dropped my keys onto the foyer table and walked through the house from room to room. I came back and saw Khaldon looking at my commissioned Steve Hanks painting. He put several bottles of bloodwine on the table.

“Maybe he’s in the shower?”

I walked into the living room and found a note on the coffee table.

It read:

Cheyenne,

Harris took me back to my house in Clearwater. I hope you’re okay. Please call me when you get home. Thank you for letting me sleep. The shrimp spaghetti was delicious.

Love- Dad

A voice greeted me as Padme’s hologram walked around the corner from the kitchen. Khaldon stepped backwards.

“Good evening, Cheyenne.”

“Did you – is this your program?” Khaldon stared at Padme and walked towards her.

“Yep – that’s one of my first prototypes,” I nodded. “Padme, please welcome Mr. Khaldon Seters.”

“Good evening, Mr. Seters, it is very nice to meet you. Can I offer you a refreshment?”

“Please, call me Khaldon, and no thank you. She is simply brilliant!” Khaldon stared at Padme and poked his finger through her holographic body image.

“Careful, she might bite.” I chomped my teeth at him.

Khaldon quickly retreated his hand as I laughed at him. Handing him the note, I asked, “Someone cooked for my father and he thinks it was me?”

“Yes, to him you weren’t really gone. His memories think you’ve been safe and sound here at the house. He believes you went out for a walk with Beano on the beach.”

“How is that possible?” I checked inside my office. Nothing seemed missing.

Khaldon followed me in and fingered the fabric of the blue 3D holo-rendering suit hanging up on the coat rack. He stretched it out to look at it and then gestured for me to explain.

“Oh, that. I design online role-playing games. That’s a motion capture body suit.”

He nodded and released the fabric and followed me out of the room. “How we manipulated your father is one of those topics we’ll need to discuss. It’s called mind messaging. You use it when necessary to help erase, absolve, or manipulate the humans around you in case something odd happens.”

Puzzled, I looked at him.

He continued to look around my house. “Have you ever driven to work and wondered how in the world you got there?”

“Yeah, I did that several times going to class in the morning. It wasn’t until after first period chemistry that I even recalled getting to school in the first place.”

“Exactly. We can do the same thing when needed. It’s a simple suggestion for memory alteration. Things will be a little fuzzy for him, but as soon as he hears from you, everything will be right as rain.”

“Padme, please dial my father’s phone.”

“Cheyenne, would you like to call his cellular or land line?”

“Try both.”

Sure enough, after the second ring Daddy answered the phone. He was home in Clearwater and thanked me again for a lovely dinner. He said he was going to go back to sleep.

Dammit – I never got those multi-vitamins to him.

He proceeded to tell me that the vitamins had helped. I walked into the kitchen and checked the fridge. My groceries had also been put away. I told him I would see him in the next couple of days but to call me if he heard anything about Dakota or Sheridan.

“Padme, end transmission.”

“You see, everything is as it was. Your dad is all right.” Khaldon walked around Padme’s holographic image still mesmerized. “Damn, Chey – this is unreal.”

“Okay – so everything’s right in the world. I still feel violated that all this has happened, and y’all trampled over my life to cover it up. I need to contact a few people and let them know I’m all right. I’m just really weirded out right now. I need some time to get myself together.”

“No worries. Look, I’m only a few minutes away in Kissimmee.” Khaldon had picked up on my hint. “Call me if you need anything.” He reached into his wallet and handed me a green card with just a phone number on it. He thumbed his fist toward my kitchen. “You want me to put those bottles in the fridge for you or do you want them at room temperature?”

“Dunno.” I turned the card over in my hand. “I hadn’t thought about it. I haven’t had it cold.”

“It’s great over ice and with a little lemon-lime spritzer on the hot days.” The silly grin returned.

“Gourmet bloodwine huh? I guess one day I’ll ask how that is made.” My mouth betrayed my thirst while my stomach roiled in flip flops. “I think I have an idea, but right now I just want to go to bed and not think about it.”

“Fair enough. You’ve got my card. I’ll see you tomorrow regardless so we can go over
The Vampyric Canons
. Get some rest.” Khaldon smiled at me.

It was an awkward moment. Was I supposed to shake his hand, give him a hug, or something?

“Yeah, okay.” I decided motion was the best thing. Thunder pounded the pavement as we exited the building. He left in a gentlemanly fashion and didn’t make me feel uncomfortable in any way.

“Looks like the rain gods are going to deluge us tonight. Drive safe.”

Khaldon looked back at me and waved.

Did I really just tell a vampire to drive safe?

I lay in my bed wrapped up in my Hello Kitty blanket and thought about what I needed to do next in my life. Harris and the guys were taking care of ExsanguiNation, so that left me free to find out more about what happened that night I was attacked.

Coming to grips with my new life would take time. More than anything I wanted to know what rogue vampire could have done this to me and why. In fact, the more I thought about how he bit me, drained me, poisoned me, and left me for dead with the rest of the casualties, it downright pissed me off.

Thankful to be alive, in whatever capacity, I vowed to find this rogue vampire and kill him at whatever cost to my soul.

E
ven though I was exhausted
, I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t feel safe knowing Amicula had been in my house.

“Padme, please change the front door security fingerprint verification to left ring finger.”

“Scanning, please wait while I upload the change sequence,” Padme responded.

“Okay.”

“Cheyenne, please initiate the manual override protocols.”

I typed into my master alarm console and reset all entry codes. I felt better knowing no one else could get into the house now without the additional security codes in place.

I grabbed my laptop and checked my email, and chat mailbox inside the game platform. I looked for any word from Roxas since he’d left the hospital room on the day I went into fugue. I still don’t understand how I blacked out for so long and not even know it.

I dialed his number again, but with no luck. He didn’t answer his mobile, the office line, nor was he logged into the ExsanguiNation portal. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I left him a message on our intranet, hoping nothing had happened to scare him off. I understood a lot was going on in my life. I couldn’t halfway blame him for not wanting to get any further involved.

“You have a phone call from an unknown origin,” Padme announced.

I wondered if Roxas had to go home to Egypt or something. Without so much as a “Hello” from the other end, I said, “Thank goodness. I’ve been so worried about you. Where have you been?”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but have you found your sisters yet?” a vaguely familiar voice returned over the line.

“What? Do you know where they are?” I reached for the bedside table to steady myself. “Who is this?”

“I know a great many things about you, Miss Cheyenne O’Cuinn.” The voice chided me from the other end of the line. “I’m Dakota’s boyfriend, Ludovic. Remember me? I sat next to you while we watched
When a Stranger Calls
on movie night with you and your sisters just two weeks ago.”

“Ludovic, are you okay?” My throat squeezed tight. Still not comprehending, I choked out the only words my brain could produce. “Where is Dakota? Have you seen Sheridan?”

“Don’t worry about me, my pet. Your precious sisters are well taken care of. But if you ever want to see them alive once again, you need to follow my explicit instructions.”

Lightning struck outside with pounding thunder seconds after it.

“Wh-What?” I tried to wrap my mind around his words. “What have you done with them?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“No. Nothing has been obvious to me lately.” Blackness tunneled in across my vision. I choked as if there weren’t enough oxygen in the room. “Where are you, and why are you doing this to us?”

“If you want to find your precious Sheridan and Dakota, you need to login to ExsanguiNation. Go find the haunted barn by the cornfield. Do you understand, my pet?”

“What does the game have to do with this?” I ran my hand through my hair frantically pulling it out of my face.

“Everything! You have one hour to find it and follow the instructions. If you don’t find it, then you’ll receive body parts from Fed Ex to your condo.”

Afraid of what he might say next, I gulped. He knew where I lived. Vampire or not, I wasn’t safe anymore. Maybe I never had been.

“Okay, okay I’ll be there. Where is the haunted barn? I’ve never programmed a barn in the game.”

“Of course you haven’t, idiot, I did.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Tut tut tut, that’s no way to talk to a fellow vampire now is it?”

My eyes grew wide in horrific understanding.

“Cheyenne, GC 89 – we’re alive!” Dakota screamed into the phone.

Bile crawled up out of my stomach and creeped into my throat as my hands covered my face.

“Please, hold.” The phone filled with oldies Muzak.

As fast as Dakota’s voice emerged, it was gone again.

Oh my God – they’re alive! Did I hear her right? GC 89? What does that mean?

I jumped out of bed and paced back and forth in the room. The hold music turned off, and Ludovic came back to the line.

“Please let me talk to her. Please don’t hurt them!” I cried into the phone, “I’ll do whatever you want. What do you want, money? Just give me till tomorrow afternoon and I’ll get it.”

“Thank you for holding, Miss O’Cuinn. I don’t need your money. I want you in exchange for your sisters. Be at the red haunted barn in one hour or you’ll live with their deaths on your bloody hands the rest of your pathetic existence.”

My mind raced for comprehension. It had been a little over a week since the attack and Ludovic was just now contacting me. How does he know I’m home? Are there any cameras in my house?

I’m bugged!

“Padme, awake!” My computers instantly came online. Logged in into the portal, I typed ‘red haunted barn’ into the search field of the game. No results returned.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Padme, mute!” I thought for a moment. “Padme, are there any external cameras added to the system? Any hidden communication or transmission devices?”

“Scanning. Negative. I detect zero unauthorized sensors.”

“Padme, unmute.”

“Ludovic, how did you know I was home?”

“Wouldn’t you love to find out, my pet?” his voice slimed over me.

“There aren’t any haunted barns coming up in the search engine parameters.”

“Have you checked for any external worlds that aren’t on your simulators?”

“You hacked into my game? You fecking ... hacker ... you.”

“Tsk tsk tsk. Such foul language from a lady. Keep it up and you’ll lose another ten minutes.”

“What do you mean lose another ten minutes? You said I had an hour.”

“You’ve taken enough of my time today. To answer your question however, good news travels fast through the grapevine. Oh, and one more thing. Don’t bother calling your dear father or the cops. If you’re not careful, even more loved ones will be joining your sisters. Goodbye, Cheyenne.”

The phone went dead.

“Wait! What? Hello, hello? Ludovic!”

Dammit!

“Padme, run a reverse lookup on that number and dial it back.”

“Locating.”

Lightning crashed again as sheets of rain pummeled the windows. The palm fronds on the trees outside looked as if the wind were at least a hurricane Cat 3. The power inside the house flickered on and off.

“Unverifiable.”

Dammit to hell!

I grabbed my cell phone off the charger and called Harris. He was the only person I could trust.

Damn voicemail!

“Harris, call me back as soon as you can. I’ve been contacted about Kota and Sher. Please call me as soon as you get this!”

I paced back and forth a few moments.

Breathe. Use logic to figure this out. You can do this.

Okay, so what did I know?

Ludovic knew I was home.

I’m not bugged.

He knew my house line.

Dakota and Sheridan are alive.

Dakota yelled out GC 89.

Ludovic hacked into my game.

I grabbed a picture frame of my mother and hugged it to my chest.

THINK!

Who can help me track this guy? I need another hacker.

I swallowed hard and pulled Khaldon’s card out of my pocket.

I sure hope he plays video games.

Khaldon answered on the third ring. “Cheyenne, is everything okay?”

“How did you know it was me?”

“I don’t give out this number to just anyone.”

“No, everything is not okay. I just got a call from Dakota’s boyfriend.” Khaldon’s calm voice pushed me over the edge. “He’s the one who kidnapped them. He’s holding them hostage.”

“Okay. Hold tight. What can I do to help?” His voice was smooth and collected.

“He wants me to play, inside my game, to find a haunted barn where I will find further instructions. I was hoping you could track server side to determine his location. I have less than an hour to find it, or he said he would start sending body parts in the mail.”

“I’ll be right there. The storm has erupted into a torrential flood of biblical proportions. I’ll get there as fast as I can. I might need an ark to get there.”

“Hurry. Please!”

“In two shakes of an umbrella.”

I hung up on him and went back to my command center. Determined to find this psychopath I checked again to look for Roxas online. Neither he nor Briggs was logged on.

Dammit to feckin’ hell! Where is everyone tonight?

I tried the search function again in the game, this time from the navigation bar in the advance tools section. I turned off the debugging features to fade through any online chatter and looked for anything termed haunted. Haunted house, haunted mansion, haunted tree, haunted shack, but nothing with barn. Then I tried just barn and all its synonyms. Shelter, shed, stall, stable. Over a thousand entries for the words. I even got a result for the screaming shack. Someone must have built a wizarding university sim.

A few minutes later, a knock pounded at the door. I flew through the house, praying it was Khaldon. I checked through the peep hole and let him in.

“Thanks for coming so fast.” I closed the door behind him. “He said he’s vampire. His name is Ludovic. My sister Dakota was dating him. He’s been here to my house. He’s watched movies with all of us. I’m sure they thought nothing about being at the park with him. They wouldn’t have suspected he was a Nosferatu, let alone a kidnapper.”

Khaldon left his umbrella in the hallway stand. He shrugged out of his overcoat and hung it up in the foyer closet.

“Okay, take a breath, Cheyenne. Relax. Remain calm.” He placed his hands on both my shoulders forcing me to look him straight in the eyes. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. Did he say anything else? Did you hear anything in the background such as water, sirens, or anything?”

I snapped my fingers. “Yes, I heard Dakota shout out to me. She said that they’re alive and a number. GC89.”

“GC89? What does that mean?”

I shook my head. “Knowing her, she’s trying to tell me something about where they are.”

Khaldon looked at the painting again. “This is nice. Where on earth is this?”

I blinked at him a couple of times.

“That’s it, Khaldon. A clue.” I clapped my hands. “She’s telling me where on earth they are. Dakota is referencing one of our geo-caches!”

“Geo-cache? You mean like treasure hunting?”

“We use to make them all the time. Now most of them are virtual.”

Khaldon squinted. “So where is GC 89?”

I shook my head. “I dunno. I never recorded the cahces the way Dakota does. I wonder if she has a notebook or log file where they’re listed.”

“Come on, we can talk about this in a minute. Let’s get me logged on. What game are we playing?”

I showed him my office. “Our company gaming portal – ExsanguiNation.”

“You gals run that company? Are you serious? I love that game.”

“Excellent. Glad you are familiar with it.” I smiled at him despite the circumstances. “That saves us a lot of time.”

“Do you have anything stronger we can mix with that bloodwine?”

“I’ve got tequila and Crown, I think. Why?”

“Hold on tight. I think you’re gonna need the extra shot of inspiration tonight.”