Broken Souls (20 page)

THIRTY-FIVE: RUBY

Anxiety coursed through me and my pulse tripled its normal
pace.

This was it.

This was the night I would free Guy, free the humans, and
escape this damned place for good. But not before I finished a few tasks. I
still needed to complete my normal duties as not to arise any suspicion.

Once the sun fell below the mountains, I made my way toward
Vampire Hall. With Cloe being out of commission, I had officially been given
laundry duty on top of everything else. I needed to pick up the clothes from Natalia,
Horus’ snooty female follower. I felt uncomfortable every time I saw her
because her eyes stuck to me like glue. She kept a close watch on me for the
vampire leader, and I needed to be especially careful this night.

Though my legs wanted to run and match the fast pace of my beating
heart, I kept my stride slow and steady as I walked through the streets. I
tried to mentally calm myself down by focusing on the crunching sounds my boots
made along the dirt road.

The town became livelier as its inhabitants emerged from
their homes in the early hours of the night. Werewolves stood guard or clamored
together loudly on their way to the Crystal Palace. Vampires clustered in
groups as usual, and witches bustled in and out of store fronts.

But me? I ignored the commotion and focused on the task
ahead of me. Though every aspect of our plan was important —completing my
duties, freeing the humans, and escaping with our lives— the one thing keeping
me motivated most was Guy. A vision of him from the night before stayed burnt
into my brain. His breathtaking smile. The grey gleam in his eyes. The muscles
in his arms rippling as they wrapped around me. I remembered the touch of his
rough fingers on my skin. His breath on my face. His heart beating against my
chest.

I blushed, still smelling his scent on me; earthy and fresh.
He smelled like life and love and hope, all things opposite a vampire like me.

As crazy as it still sounded to me, I was in fact a vampire.
It resided inside of me like an inner battle, a constant struggle between good
and evil. There remained a darkness there, a poison that could not be explained.
I didn’t
want
to be what I was, but I’d accepted it none the less. I had
no other choice. Yet now, with Guy by my side, I felt I could do anything. Once
I broke him free and we escaped, I would find a way.
We
would find a way
to be together forever.

“You are the Newborn?”

A coarse female voice jolted me from my reverie and I spun
on my heels. A short-statured older woman with bristly hair stood before me. I
knew by her tawny skin and gleaming yellow eyes she was a werewolf. She wore an
old western dress with a long stained apron. She planted her hands firmly on
her hips, her forehead creased with a frown. She tilted her head to the side in
question and I gave her a wary sidelong glance. I didn’t need any trouble.

“Ruby, is it?” She crossed her arms over her large bosom.

I nodded, apprehension crawling through me. Nothing could go
wrong tonight, for if it did, our plans would unravel like a ball of yarn in
the claws of a kitten. To my surprise, the lady werewolf’s face suddenly lifted
into a grin, and she grabbed my hand, shaking it eagerly in both of hers. “Such
a pleasure to finally meet you.”

I smiled strangely and nodded. “The pleasure is all mine…” I
glanced around at our surroundings. We stood in front of a line of small homes
near the werewolf district. Though still jarring, I was more used to the
crumbling structures by now. The lady wolf still shook my hand, bouncing my arm
up and down.

“It is so refreshing to finally meet a vampire with some compassion.
Everyone is talking about what you did for young Orie. A true sweetheart you
are.”

My heart warmed at her acclamation, a giggle bursting from
my mouth. “And you are?”

“Lola,” she said. “Oh won’t you come in?” She tugged me
toward a small home which looked a lot like Jax and Orie’s.

“Oh, I’m not so sure I should. I have to…”

Ignoring my protests, she leaned in and whispered into my
ear. “I heard you won’t drink from the humans. You don’t know how happy that
makes my heart. A true dear you are.” She again tugged me toward the house. “My
husband and I run the farm here. I have pigs’ blood inside if you’d like. I was
saving it in the off chance I’d get to meet you.”

I was flattered by her words, but couldn’t afford to waste
any time.

“I… I have work to do,” I smiled apologetically.

“Nonsense,” she waved her hand. “Not on an empty stomach. You
look pale and like you could use some blood.”

I resisted the urge to tell her that I was a vampire and
being pale sort of came with the territory. Instead, I stood silently, trying
to come up with a good excuse to leave. But she still tugged on my arm.

“Come. It’ll only take a minute. It’s the least I can do to
repay you for the generosity you’ve shown our kind.”

I sighed in resignation, thinking I was indeed famished, not
to mention exhausted from not having any sleep that day. I needed to keep up my
energy for the night’s big escape, and a bit of blood would do just the trick.
I smiled at her. “I guess if it’s only a minute…”

For a small while, I sat and chatted with the nice older
couple as they ate their dinner and I drank a cup of animal blood. I’d noticed since
Pandora getting me goat’s blood, every time I drank, it went down a little
easier.

The sweet twosome thanked me profusely and offered me
compliments for my bravery and kindness, and though a bit excessive, I took
their admiration with grace. Before long, I left with well wishes and waves at
the door, but not before Lola insisted I take some blood with me. I accepted
the gift graciously and slid the flask into my skirt pocket, thinking it would
definitely be helpful to me later.

With blood in my system and seeing the impact I made on
these werewolves’ lives, I was completely rejuvenated and ready for our coming
escape.

But I didn’t even make it halfway down the street before I
was stopped by another group of werewolves, all shaking my hand and offering
niceties. To my surprise, the group grew larger and even a couple of small wolf
children wanted to meet and hug me. I laughed as they tugged on the hem of my long
skirt.

Their reaction made me realize Jax and Orie were right all
along; vampires and werewolves do not help each other and what I’d done for
Orie was unheard of. Even in this supernatural town, segregation was most
prevalent. But I couldn’t help but think maybe I’d tilted the scale just enough
to start a change. Maybe each side would give each other enough credit to start
working together from now on.

I became so wrapped up in speaking to the werewolves I hadn’t
noticed the time. The moon hung a quarter way into the sky and I should’ve been
done with my laundry by now and on the way to The Shelter to feed the humans. I
bid the group farewell and sped through town to Vampire Hall. I reached the
entrance in no time flat and knocked at the grand doors standing before me.

I’d only been inside of Vampire Hall once before. It was
where Pandora’s job recruitment office stood and where I was first given the
task of blood slave duty. I remembered that night well, now being glad my
journey was finally coming to an end. The large doors creaked open to reveal a
young male vampire in a livery uniform. His glare made me uneasy.

“Um… I’m Ruby. I’m here to see Natalia, to pick up the
laundry.”

He gave me a long once over and, after confirming who I was,
nodded. “Natalia just left with Horus. But stay here and I’ll get the bags for
you.” He disappeared into the building, leaving the door open a crack.

Urgency flared through me, my heart racing. That meant Natalia
and Horus were more than likely questioning Guy already and the time was
growing near. I hoped they took it easy on him tonight. He said it would be the
last night they would visit him before deciding on a death sentence. I grasped for
the rosary at my chest, realizing its absence.

I nearly jumped when the vampire butler threw open the door
and dropped the bags of dirty linens at my feet. I hefted them up over my
shoulder and thanked him before racing off into the night.

Though I had no intentions of washing all of the clothes, I
stopped by the laundry well at the park just for formalities. At this point, I
never knew who would be watching me and furthermore who was an enemy or ally. I
quickly washed a couple of towels and hung them on the line. I scanned the
surrounding street and the mercantile store out front. As I suspected, there
was no one watching me and no Natalia.

I flashed over to Big Nose Kate’s, keeping the laundry bags
in tow. I grabbed the trolley of food and managed to pilfer some extra fruit
and bread, thinking the humans would need it to keep up their energy. Their
eyes lit up when I entered The Shelter.

Glass was still strewed about the floor and a cold draft
permeated the building through the broken storefront. Even though the days were
warm in the desert, it was commonplace knowledge the further into fall we got,
the harsher and more frigid the nights became. The humans shook and shivered in
their threadbare and tattered clothes.

My heart sank as I walked by Earl’s empty cell. I wished he was
there to witness our impending freedom, but there was nothing to be done about
it now.

Pushing my sadness aside, I quickly passed out the food and
water, as well as giving each human a set of the vampire’s clothing to put on.
They eyed me dubiously at the fancy new wardrobe, but I told them all would be
explained in due time and to dress quickly. Excited murmurs passed between them
as I stopped by the last cage. Kate, the woman who’d been placed next to Earl
was standing at the back looking uneasy. I urged her toward the front and spoke
in a low whisper.

“What is going on Ruby?” she asked, her face a mixture of
emotions.

I exhaled slowly. “All I can tell you for now is by tomorrow
morning we will be far away from this place.”

She clasped her hands to her chest and gasped. “But… but
how?”

I pushed a dress and pantaloons through the slit on the cage
and she caught the items in her hands.

“Leave that up to me. But for now, I need you to organize
everybody into three groups. Once out of here, they must stay with their groups
until they reach the gates. A couple of friends of mine will be coming to
release you very soon.”

Kate looked at me with wet eyes. “Am I dreaming?” she
breathed.

I shook my head with a smile. “No. But you must pass on the
information to everyone. They must keep calm and quiet if this is to work. They
must understand how important it is and their silence could mean the difference
between life and death. Do you understand?”

She nodded enthusiastically.

I sighed heavily. “Good.”

I left The Shelter with my heart thudding hard in my chest.
I looked up to see the moon halfway across the sky. That was the signal.

It was time.

THIRTY-SIX: CLOE

After our planning session, Orie rushed off to guard duty
and Ruby to start her part of the plan. I was left with a few hours to rest before
I made my own escape, but resting was the last thing I was able to do.

My mind whirled and churned as I laid on the sickbed
watching the candlelight flicker against the wall. Tombstone had been my home
for the last twenty years. And now, realizing it might be my last night there
hit me like a bludgeon. I tried to remember a happy moment or something I would
miss about the town, yet all I saw was Horus and his power over me.

Endless nights of subservient duties and endless days of lying
next to a man I despised, I’d been in constant fear for my safety —not to
mention my life— and was in constant denial of my feelings for Orie. Though I’d
come to accept my new life, as there was no other option, I never forgot the hell
I’d been living in. A true nightmare.

Though once Ruby arrived in town, it was as if the sky
opened up and the sun I hadn’t seen in so long shone down on me, warming my
cold soul. The hope of new possibilities arose as she made me remember the
humanity I’d lost long ago. My numbness melted away like an ice cube on a hot
summer day, bringing forth long forgotten feelings of love and compassion, hope
and belief.

I imagined a life with Orie free from fear and degradation,
one where we could be ourselves and enjoy life, together. But beneath my
newfound optimism, hung a layer of dread. I feared what might happen if our
plans were foiled and what Horus might do to me if he found out. I shuddered
inside.

And like usual, without warning, my mind folded in on
itself, trapping me within the confines of a dark memory of the night Horus
made me into what I was; his creation, his servant, and his pet.

The memory seeped through me and I saw it as vividly as if
it were just yesterday…

The stranger with the black eyes held out his hand, and I thought
about how cold it was in my warm one. I could smell blood in the air from my
mother’s dead boyfriend lying on the ground, fear quaking inside of me. Yet along
with that fear, I could feel the rush of excitement at the unexpected.

After making the decision to leave the run-down trailer park
I called home, the vampire flashed us away into the night in a blur of colors.

I gasped, blinking, to find us at the highest peak of a
mountain range. The frigid air whipped across my face like a lash and I wrapped
my arms around myself, taking in our surroundings.

I gazed at the beautiful view below. To the North and South
city lights twinkled in the distance. To the East and West was nothing but dark
desert. The moonlight cascaded over the scene, painting the world below in a
midnight blue.

“You can have all of this,” the vampire said, spanning his
arm around. “You can have the world at your fingertips.” I studied the way he
took in the view and how his eyes twinkled, lips curving into a smile. “You can
be powerful,” he continued, placing an arm around my shoulder. “You can be
fearless.”

Fearless. I liked the sound of that.

“Shall you decide to let me turn you, you will be stronger
than ever imagined. You will never have to worry about money, for you will
always be wealthy. You will live forever and no one will take advantage of you
ever again.” He turned to me and smiled.

I had so many questions, but they all seemed so miniscule
compared to the grandiosity of his promises. My body didn’t wait for my mind to
catch up and I found myself nodding before I even realized it.

Before I could blink, the stranger sank his teeth into my
neck and I took in a sharp breath as he drank my blood. A lot of my blood. I
swayed on my feet, but he yanked me up hard and continued to drain the life out
of me. Fear spread through me and I fought against his control. But I was too
weak and he was too strong. After realizing my attempts were futile, I let my
head drop backwards, my limbs growing numb. I hung there like a rag doll as he
drank so deeply it hurt. My thudding heart grew weaker, more sporadic. I was
dying. My body shut down, mind foggy.

“You will be my bond,” he murmured against my neck, his
teeth still buried deep within. “You will be my creation.”

I shivered from cold and lack of blood, my weak heart barely
beating. I then felt a push instead of a pull on my flesh. White-hot pain shot
through me as blazing liquid entered my neck. He was poisoning me, his venom
rushing into my body.

I tremored and convulsed, writhing in unspeakable pain. I
wished he would kill me. I wished I would just die for it would relieve the
torture, but he pulled away and let me fall into a heap to the ground. I screamed
and vomited, thrashing about. The time went by in slow motion. The sky grew
lighter at the horizon and my skin began to burn.

The vampire scooped me up into his arms and scaling down the
mountain in a blur, dove us into a dark cave. He sat on a rock and watched me
suffer for hours, my body jerking and kicking on the floor.

But when the pain subsided, I opened my eyes to see a whole
new world around me. Even through the pitch black, I made out every crevice and
crack within the cave. My ears screamed with the sounds of chirping crickets
and scampering critters. And before I could get to my feet, the stranger’s
bleeding wrist touched my lips.

“Drink,” he commanded.

I gasped and gurgled as the liquid forced its way down my
throat.

“It’s okay,” he soothed, stroking my hair. “We will now be
inseparable. I will take care of you always.”

The bitter poison traveled my insides and created a warmth
inside my body, a rush of emotions brimming through me. I literally felt the
vampire’s satisfaction pouring off him as though we were bonded on some deeper
level. I sensed his need for control and his obsession with power. It consumed
him fully, a ticking time-bomb and I knew he could explode at any moment. It
scared me and I wanted to run away.

But he laid on top of me and pinned me down, creating a cage
with his arms. Our eyes met, mine wavering with tears, and his flashing with
ferocity.

“Please…” I croaked, though unsure of what I pleaded for. I’d
asked for this, hadn’t I?

“Do not fret, my sweet. You will never have to go back to
that dump from where you came. You will be mine now. Forever.”

The door creaked open, slamming me into reality, and I
jumped a mile. It took me a moment to realize I was still in the infirmary
lying on the bed, and not back in my past being ravaged by Horus.

I exhaled loudly and Morin came to my bedside.

“You’re breathing heavily,” she mused. “Are you okay?”

I didn’t answer.

“Still not talking? That’s okay. It’ll come in time. Shock
can take a while to wear off. If only you could tell me what happened to you…”
She placed her wrist to my forehead. “Clammy, but at least your fever is gone.”

I trembled, but not from being unwell. I trembled from the
terrible flashback and anxiety over my impending escape. I gathered from days past
this would be the last time the witch checked on me for another few hours and I
would have to sneak out as soon as she left.

“Your cuts and bruises are healing nicely,” she affirmed as
she changed my blankets. She pulled out a jug of blood Horus had no doubt sent
over. “Drink up, sweetheart.”

I placed my lips around the opening and drank deeply. The
witch took away the empty jug, looking satisfied and gave me a wink.

“You should be ready to go back home in no time.”

Her words struck me.

Home.

Where was my home? I didn’t know. But it sure as hell wasn’t
here while Horus remained alive.