The Way of Escape (3 page)

Not knowing how to end our surreal conversation, I simply nodded and walked through the bathroom and into my room. After closing the door behind me, I rummaged through the nearby dresser until I found a set of clean pajamas, changed into them, and tucked myself in. I didn’t want to fall asleep with one vampire a bathroom away and even more under the same roof as me, but I needed to be well rested to deal with whatever strange encounters awaited me the next day.

With that in mind, I asked God for a day of sleep that would bring me the rest, clarity, and strength that I needed to deal with my present situation. I also prayed that I would awaken in my bed at Gospel Gateway and realize that my expedition to Emmanuel’s island had been nothing more than a strange, disturbing nightmare.

♦              ♦              ♦

CHAPTER 2

By the time I opened my eyes, it was almost two o’clock in the afternoon. My first instinct was to throw off my covers and prepare for the day I’d nearly slept away, but I quickly realized that the silky sheets I grasped were neither the high thread count sheets on my bed at home nor the cheap cotton set I’d brought to Haiti. Unfortunately, my abduction by vampires hadn’t been a nightmare. It really happened.

I tucked a dark curl that had weaseled its way out of my ponytail behind my ear and stared at the oil painting of a peaceful landscape that hung on the wall opposite my bed as I contemplated my predicament. According to Emmanuel and Augustus, I was supposedly half vampire and I had the opportunity to choose my own destiny. While the idea of lording over my own kind — possibly even some of my friends — made my stomach turn, living as someone’s slave and being subjected to various forms of abuse was almost equally abhorrent …
Almost.

Being born different doesn’t make my comfort more important than theirs.

That thought reminded me of the so-called prophecy Augustus mentioned. Every prophecy I believed in existed between Genesis and Revelation, but I couldn’t simply dismiss his claim if it being true meant that I could help the other humans. Despite my desire to pull a Moses and free the slaves on the island, I had a strong feeling that Augustus was keeping something important from me. If he was withholding information, it was likely because those unspoken details would dissuade me from fulfilling the prophecy. That and my reluctance to believe the word of an unknown Sanguinarian meant that I would need some serious convincing before I sided with him. More importantly, I would actually need to trust Augustus to team up with him.

If he chose to live forever on earth, that means he rejected living forever with God,
I pondered.
How can I believe the word of someone who rejected the gospel in such a permanent way in favor of preying on his own kind?

I racked my brain for scriptures that could help me sort out the predicament that Emmanuel and Augustus had forced upon me, but a knock at the bathroom door interrupted my thoughts.

When I reluctantly but promptly slipped out of bed and answered the door, I wasn’t surprised to see that Augustus was my afternoon visitor. Even though the black silk pajamas that the vampire wore made him seem less threatening, I reminded myself the he probably looked just as vicious as Emmanuel had the night before when he cornered his victims and drank their blood. He was far from harmless.

“Good afternoon,” he greeted. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes,” I replied coolly. “What about you?”

“Yes, I did. May I come in?”

I wasn’t fond of being alone with Augustus again, but I had a feeling that he could overpower me and bulldoze his way into the room if he wanted to. Instead of testing the extent of his politeness, I moved aside and he stepped into the room, closing the bathroom door behind him. My entire body tensed and I balled my hands into fists, my eyes scanning the room for potential weapons as I waited for him to display his bloodthirsty nature. When he saw my defensive disposition, the vampire sighed and shook his head.

“You don’t have to be frightened, Clara. I’m only here to talk,” he assured me.

“About the prophecy?”

“Yes, have you made a decision about helping me?”

“If I actually go along with this, it won’t be to help
you,”
I corrected. “I’d love to free the men and women here and stop Emmanuel, but God will have to be the one to convince me that it’s even possible. I don’t have any reason to trust Jean’s prophecy, and I have the nagging feeling that you’re not being completely honest with me about it to begin with.”

“Either I’m a bad liar or you have good intuition because you’re right. I didn’t tell you everything about your role in this.”

“What did you leave out?”

“To incapacitate Emmanuel’s coven, you will have to exchange blood with a vampire. According to the long-dead martyr, if you do this the day of the solar eclipse, the vampires won’t be immune to the sun as they usually are and every vampire in the vicinity who is exposed to its light will be killed,” Augustus explained. “Exchanging blood with another vampire would also make you a vampire.”

“So I won’t be human at all?”

“Correct.”

I bit my lip and crossed my arms, fighting to keep my anger from roaring forth as I tried to wrap my mind around this new revelation.

“Why didn’t you tell me that last night?”

“Because when Emmanuel asked you to make a decision about whether to live as a human or as a vampire, you didn’t ask questions. You said that you needed to pray about it. Not think.
Pray,”
he rehashed. “Yes, I knew that you were here on a mission trip, but many young people who claim to be religious just go through the motions and check off boxes without having a faith. Go to church weekly? Check. Put money in the offering plate? Check. Go to a foreign country on a mission trip to make yourself seem benevolent to your peers? Check. Behave as if your god doesn’t exist every other day of your life? Check. However, only someone who truly believes in her god would pray in the face of such a decision when you could choose comfort over oppression without facing judgment. I understand enough about Christianity to know that your beliefs could prevent you from cooperating with me, so I was hesitant to tell you the entire story.”

“Thank you for telling the truth.”

“How do you feel now that I’ve told you the whole truth?”

“I don’t know … You’re right though. This makes everything a lot more complicated.”

He nodded.

“Are you angry with me for lying?”

“Yes, but I’m not exactly surprised.”

“Of course you’re not,” he said with a wry grin. “You’re either very wise or extremely foolish. Whether you decide to collaborate with me or not, I look forward to finding out which. That being said, I’ll give you some privacy while you sort your feelings out. Someone will be bringing you a meal shortly. I’ll let you know when it’s arrived.”

“Thank you.”

Augustus disappeared through the door and I sank back down onto the bed. No matter what the vampire’s intentions were, I wanted to help the people Emmanuel was oppressing. Unfortunately, I didn’t know if I could bring myself to do so possibly at the expense of my own afterlife. After all, what did becoming a vampire mean for my salvation? Even if I didn’t lose my spot in heaven by becoming a vampire, I would be choosing to live on earth for much longer than I had imagined and saying goodbye to heaven for who knows how long.

I would also be giving up the chance to live a normal life. I couldn’t to settle down anywhere if I wouldn’t age. I wouldn’t be able to open up and be honest with my friends about what I’d become. I’d also have to give up on my dreams of getting married and having children — two things I had been praying for since before I knew who I was praying to. I also found myself wondering if I would still go to heaven when someone or something finally claimed my newly extended life. I’d been sure of my salvation as a human, but did that change when someone became a vampire?

As dozens of concerns and worries ran through my mind, I came face to face with my own self-centeredness. Every worry I was reflecting on revolved around me. I was terrified that my life wouldn’t be the way I wanted it to be because I wasn’t trusting God enough to see past my own desires. Even after I stopped focusing on myself and turned my attention to the slaves, I still wasn’t convinced that going along with Augustus’ plan was the right thing to do.

God, please give me the discernment I need to make a decision that honors you, and help me trust you enough to walk the path you have given me … even if it makes my own plans impossible.

♦              ♦              ♦

As promised, Augustus dropped my food off as soon as one of the slaves delivered it. Though he’d left me in peace to eat my waffle as I prayed, worried, and contemplated my situation, the vampire knocked on the door again shortly after dusk. In the hours since my breakfast delivery, Augustus had traded his pajamas for a single-breasted midnight blue suit with a pressed white shirt and silver tie. I, on the other hand, was still in the jeans and loose-fitting tank top that I had pilfered from the closet before my shower. As refreshing as a warm, leisurely shower should have been after several days of quick, chilly ones, I felt far from relaxed. The vampire’s reappearance didn’t exactly help matters either.

“It’s almost time for dinner,” he announced. “You should get dressed.”

“Define dinner.”

“We will be eating
solid
food.”

“I didn’t realize vampires could eat normal food.”

“We can. It just doesn’t do anything for our appetites,” he clarified. “Do you need help choosing an appropriate outfit? The coven prefers to dress in formal attire for dinner.”

“No, and I’m not changing.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to dress up like I’m celebrating something or trying to impress someone when I’m about to be waited on by my own kind while I eat with the vampires who are enslaving them.”

“We’re your kind too,” he reminded me.

“Even if I’m a dhampir, I was raised as a human.”

Augustus chuckled softly as he walked into the closet.

“You are going to resist this every step of the way, aren’t you,” he called as he looked through the collection of expensive clothing at my disposal.

“I don’t want the slaves to think that I’m okay with what’s going on here or that I don’t feel any compassion for them. If I show up decked out in fancy clothes, what kind of message will I be sending them?”

The vampire stepped out of the closet and handed me a black and white tweed blazer. My eyes immediately focused on the name on the tag as well as the two interlocking C’s that made up the iconic brand’s logo. Despite my initial excitement, I tried to hide my admiration for the designer jacket, which probably cost more than the contents of my duffle bag back at Gospel Gateway. It was definitely a huge departure from the maxi skirts, basketball shorts, and sweat wicking shirts I’d been wearing all week.

“At least put this on. You’ll feel more comfortable if you do.”

I rocked back and forth on my heels for a moment as I mulled over his suggestion.

“Fine.”

Once I pulled on the blazer, Augustus looked me over and gave me what would have been a disarming smile of admiration under normal circumstances.

“Perfect. Let’s go.”

Then, Augustus unlocked my bedroom door and we stepped into the hallway.

“Who else is going to be at dinner,” I asked as we walked down the carpeted stairs to the ground floor.

“A few coven members and their personal slaves usually come to dinner. The rest don’t enjoy eating human food anymore.”

“What are personal slaves?”

I already had a feeling that I knew the answer to my question, but I needed Augustus to confirm my suspicions.

“Vampires use their personal slaves for blood, sex, and companionship,” he explained bluntly. “Many of the personal slaves escape their reality with the drugs and alcohol that their masters or mistresses provide.”

My stomach turned as Augustus described how the personal slaves lived. It sounded like a nightmarish combination of sex trafficking and the exploitation of African American slaves in the antebellum south. At first, I hoped that none of those slaves would show up for dinner so I wouldn’t have to witness their oppression firsthand. However, I changed my tune when I recognized my own selfishness … again. Whether they were sitting across the table from me or being abused out of sight, monsters would still be using and taking advantage of them. According to Augustus, I had the power to set them free.

Maybe seeing them in action will help me make a decision.

As we strolled past an elaborate living area with a grand piano, perfectly preserved antique furniture, and shining hardwood floors, I realized that I had already made a decision about which side I wanted to live on. Living as a vampire meant that I would be condoning and perpetuating the humans’ exploitation no matter how temperate I was, but I’d be a victim of it if I chose to remain a mortal. Collaborating with Augustus was another matter though. Even if I went along with his plan and it worked, I would become the very thing that disgusted me. Even though it was a lose-lose-lose situation, I was more content with losing my comfort than losing my humanity.

God, please help me make the right decision.

When Augustus and I walked into the dining room, I could immediately tell the vampires from the slaves despite how stylishly and immaculately dressed everyone was. I normally would have felt anxious because of how casual my clothes look compared to their black tie attire, but compassion edged out my insecurity as I furtively glanced around the table.

There were only two humans at dinner — one man and one woman. The blonde male slave wore a classic tuxedo and sipped on champagne as his glazed over, bloodshot hazel eyes took in the room. His vacant gaze slid over to me and I remembered Augustus explaining that the personal slaves checked out of the real world with the help of drugs. Whatever he had taken must have been
strong
because there was barely a flicker of awareness in his eyes as he stared through me. The female vampire beside him leaned over to whisper something in his ear and he instantly removed his bowtie before unfastening the first few buttons on his shirt. The female vampire leaned in with her eyes blackened and fangs exposed, but Emmanuel spoke before she could bite him.