Tirgoviste The Order of the Dragon

Running From Fate

     At some point during the night, I fell asleep. I woke up when Milos came to bed at dawn. He sauntered into the room, almost drunkenly and fell into the bed beside me. I lay perfectly still as he sniffed at my exposed neck. I wanted him to bite me again but I remembered Mircea's warning. I had no need to worry. Milos had apparently had as much of my blood as he wanted. He yawned, stretched and sacked out on his side, facing away from me. Within moments, that death like trance had taken him and his mind was empty of all thought.

     I lay beside him for a bit longer until I was sure they were all out of it. I scanned the rooms around me for some sign of life but the only human I picked up with my thoughts was little Kiva and she was fast asleep lying beside her big brute in the next room.

     I slipped from the bed and got dressed. As quietly as I could, I made my way down the long hallway and through the door that led down to the club. Everything was silent and dark there. I was about to step into that quiet darkness, when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

     "You don't want to go walking through there my friend."

     I jumped and turned to face Jupiter. I'd not picked up on him at all. That frustrated me. I should have been able to sense the presence of another vampire. "Why don't I want to?" I asked making no attempt to hide the irritation in my voice.

     "Because about fifty vampires are sleeping down there right now and if you wake them up, they are going to be very pissed and property of the prince or not, they will most likely tear you to bits," he responded.

     "Would they really do that?" I asked.

     "No, probably not," he joked. "But best not to take any chances with that rich blood of yours."

     "How do I get out of here then?" I asked.

     "Go back upstairs. At the end of the hallway that leads to the kitchen, you will find a door. It opens on some stairs that lead down to the parking garage under the building. You can get out that way. You can get back in that way too. Do you have your ring?" he asked.

     "What ring?"

     "Milos didn't give it to you?" Jupiter asked.

     "I don't know what you're talking about. Milos didn't give me any ring," I answered.

     "Well then you'll have to stay out all day and come back in through the front door like you did before. Look I don't like the idea of you running around out in the world without any protection. Other vampires will be able to see the bites on you. The bites are invisible to humans but not our kind. They will think you are a feeder and one of the weaker minded ones might attack you and hurt you before they realize who you belong to. If you were wearing the ring, they would recognize it and know you were off limits," he said.

     "What ring are you talking about?" I asked.

     "Kiva has one. It's a black, onyx band, very simple. She wears it on the index finger of her left hand. It's like a symbol to warn off other vampires. It means she is the property of one of the Draculesti princes. Like I said, any vampire who happens to see it will know to stay away from her but it also serves another purpose. The rings are imbedded with a device that can be swiped under a plate mounted on the wall in the parking garage. The door to the stairs will open and let you back in. That device also serves as a homing beacon if you ever get lost, not that Morsus would need it to find you," Jupiter finished.

     "Look, I'm getting out of here now, even if I have to walk through this den of sleeping blood suckers!" I insisted.

     "I'm not trying to stop you, just be careful," Jupiter warned.

     I made my way back up the stairs and located the door to the parking garage he'd mentioned. I pushed it open and went down the dark stairs. At the bottom was another door. I cautiously opened it and peeked outside.

     The garage was filled with an astounding array of luxury vehicles. Right next to me was a tricked-out, black Hummer with very dark, tinted windows. The vanity plate on the front bumper read: VAMP1. I had to assume that it belonged to Mircea. To the left of this impressive piece of machinery, sat a black, BMW, Morsus's I deduced and on the right a black, Dodge Viper that seemed to have Milos written all over it.

     I walked past these expensive vehicles and followed the ramp up to the street level doors. I located a button on the wall to the left and pushed it, opening the doors. The sun was rising on the streets of Chicago and I was ready for it. I had never taken lightly to being told what to do and I certainly didn't like all that talk about being "addicted" to Milos. He had pissed me off and kind of bruised my ego, last night, with his little refusal of my advances, misplaced though they might have been. I wasn't going to stick around and be his "meal ticket" as Kiva had said.

     I slipped away into the early morning unnoticed and shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my borrowed jeans. I hoped Morsus wouldn't mind. I'd stolen one of Milos's black, hooded sweatshirts, though it was a little big for me. I paused to pull up the hood, hoping that would hide the marks on my neck, though there was no need to worry about that until dark.

     I headed off randomly with no particular destination in mind. I guess I planned to make my way to Luke's eventually, though it wasn't set in stone really. I suppose that I was rebelling against the idea of spending another night at Tirgoviste. The very thought of being told I had to stay there made me rebellious in and of itself.

     I didn't realize how far I'd walked until I looked up to find myself in the outdoor market. Vendors were setting up their carts in preparation for the day. I noticed my stomach growling and realized that I was actually hungry again. I wasn't sure eating was such as good idea though, considering I was still pretty light headed and most likely running a few quarts low.

     I toyed with the idea of checking myself into a hospital for a fill up but decided against it. They would want to know why my blood count was so low. Best to just lay up somewhere and let my body replenish itself. I had the sense to realize that I'd brought all of this on myself. I'd gone looking for trouble. I'd let myself be seduced by all of it but I had no intention of being pulled into it. They weren't going to make me one of them.

     I traveled through the open air market and continued on, my head down, my hands in my pockets. To those I passed, I was nothing more than a simple boy, dressed in designer clothes and steel toed boots. Most people gave me a wide berth but I'm used to that. It's been that way my whole life.

     Eventually I found myself standing on the corner of a street I wasn't in any way familiar with. The buildings were boarded up and there was quite a lot of garbage in the alleys between the buildings. I could hear people arguing in the shabby apartments above me as I walked past. It was dark here in this ran-down part of the city.

     This was the place where people like me ended up. I might have been an unknown, drug overdose victim, in just such a place as this. There was nothing to stop me from becoming that person again. Nothing but the strange new desire I had to live and live to the fullest.

     I stood still, my special senses taking in all the sights and smells around me. The sun had risen above the skyscrapers and shone warm, against my back. I looked with new eyes at the world, realizing just how close I'd come to cashing in my chips the last few days. If I'd stayed with Milos, I would have either died in the conventional sense when he drank too much from me or been "brought across" as they called it and died to the human life forever.

     I felt the pull calling me back to him just the same, however. It was something I couldn't deny no matter how much I wanted to. His bite was screaming for me, even now, he probably realized I was gone. I felt his absence and it was a pain for me. I reached up and brushed my hand against my neck, as a strange feeling began to creep over me. I turned to look around, the sense that I wasn't alone overwhelming me. I heard what sounded to me like a very faint whisper on the wind that whipped suddenly around me; a voice, female it seemed, speaking that old language, and then a bit of a phrase came through clearly just as the voice faded away.

     "Apartine a Draculesti…"

     What did that mean? I concentrated on translating it, the closest I could come to English was, "belongs to a Draculesti". Although my psychic alarms were going off like mad, I couldn't see anything that I ought to be afraid of. I believed, for a moment, that I was picking up the thoughts of another and the feeling was that it was vampiric in nature but it was broad daylight and no vampire could stand to be in direct sunlight.

     My eyes scanned the tenements around me for some sign of movement but strangely, nobody seemed to be around. I shrugged it off to nerves and low blood and continued down the sidewalk, making my way, more or less, toward the bay. The feeling of being watched didn't go away as I walked, it only increased until I found myself turning constantly to look behind me and fearing at any moment, that I would feel hands on my throat. I felt a little better when the shore of Lake Michigan came into view.

     Even in this less than desirable part of the city, that view was always good. I picked up my pace and headed toward it. At the crosswalk I paused, looking down at the broken sidewalk. I was struck, deeply, by the sight of a tiny, little, yellow flower pushing its way up through the crack in the pavement, pushing its way through the discarded cigarette packages and broken glass, reaching for the light, reaching for life.

     I stood stricken as I stared at that fragile, little plant thriving in this miserable spot of the earth. How unfortunate that the seed hadn't blown somewhere more peaceful, more serene than the corner of a garbage-littered street in Chicago. I don't know why it affected me so much but it made me sad.

     I reached down and very carefully pulled that little plant up by its tiny roots and held my hands around it as if to protect it from the dangerous world. I crossed the street when the light turned and headed to the small park across from the marina.

     I found a spot beside an oak tree in an out of the way area and planted the little flower. I hoped it would grow there. Somehow it seemed a better place to me, than the crack in the sidewalk where someone might step on it. I sat down on the bench nearby and gave myself over to despair.

     I was hooked again and I knew it but the sad part of it all was that now I wanted to live. I didn't want to go back to that dark place and languish in it. Such an existence seemed more like a toxic prison and I began to understand Milos's despair at his situation. But that was addiction, a death sentence in a prison of your own making, a place of bitter contradictions. On the one hand, you have keening pleasure, on the other, certain extinction.

     I don't know how many hours passed while I sat there contemplating the ifs. Eventually, a policeman sauntered over and asked me what I was doing. I politely told the man to f**k off and that I could sit there all day if I wanted to. When he replied that he was inclined to disagree, I got up and moved on. I found myself a public telephone, old and outdated monstrosities though they are and placed a collect call to Luke's phone. I was surprised when he answered.

     "Where the hell have you been, man? You just disappeared. We all thought you were dead. I even went down to the morgue and s**t to see if you were there," Luke said.

     "Yeah, I've been out of it for a while but I'm back now. Do you think maybe you could come and pick me up?" I asked.

     He was agreeable, and I gave him my location. I hoped "officer friendly" wouldn't see me loitering near the phone booth. He might ask me to move on again and then I'd be s**t out of luck. But he didn't make an appearance and I only had to wait about thirty minutes for Luke to find me.

     "So you gonna tell me where you been or what?" Luke asked as I got into his Mustang.

     "Trust me, man, you wouldn't believe me if I told you, anyway it's not important," I replied as I pushed the hood off and leaned back against the seat.

     "Holy Mary, Mother of God, Alex, you look like s**t!" Luke gasped.

     I reached up and pulled the sun visor down so I could look in the mirror on the back of it. He was absolutely right. My face was so pale, my eyes dark and sunken and my lips a sickly looking grey color. I shoved the visor back up, not wanting to look at myself anymore.

     "Yeah, I don't feel very good, been kind of sick," I admitted.

     "What's wrong with you?" he asked suspiciously.

     "Hooked again," I confessed.

     "Heroin?" Luke questioned.

     "No, something stronger and more dangerous but I don't want to talk about it," I replied.

     "What's more dangerous than Heroin?" Luke wanted to know.

     "Let's just say it's something I hope you never deal in. So where are we going?" I asked.

     "Back to my place, I think you need to lay down somewhere. You sure you're gonna be ok man? I really think you might need to go to a hospital or something. You're awfully pale," he worried.

     "Trust me; I'll be fine in a couple of days. I don't have AID's if that's what you're thinking," I assured him.

     "Fine, whatever man, just don't be getting me into any s**t for helping you out," Luke warned.

"You won't be," I said, though I wasn't sure it was entirely true.

     I knew I was in trouble long before dusk of that first day away. Luke sat nervously in the recliner, watching me as I struggled on his couch. I was in the throes of withdrawing but it was far worse than any withdraw I'd endured before. I writhed and clutched at my chest, my stomach, and my head. I was being consumed by a total body need for that feeling, that euphoria. The very roots of my hair sang in pain for it.

     Luke would get up, from time to time, and swab at my forehead with a cool, damp cloth and then check my pulse. "Dude, I ain't trying to be in your business but maybe you should let me shoot you up or something. I got some China White," he offered.

     "It wouldn't do for me," I managed to reply. "I need something stronger than that, I told you."

     "Man, what in f**k is stronger than heroin?"

     "What I need can't be obtained on any black market," I said, through clenched teeth.

     I asked Luke to help me into the bathroom and he closed the door, giving me privacy as I slumped to the floor and lay on the cold tiles. I could feel my heart slamming against the wall of my chest, thundering away in its awful rhythm. I knew I needed to stay away from him. I didn't want to feel like a prisoner to anyone. If I went back there, I'd end up dead. I'd come too far to die in the backroom of a club, especially not a vampire safe-house.

     After some time, Luke returned and opened the door. He felt it was best for me to lie down and directed me to his spare bedroom. I crashed out on a mattress in the corner and tried to sleep. I drifted in and out of consciousness, jerking awake as a painful spasm took me. I thought that if I could just endure it for a few days, it would leave my system. At least that was my hope. At dusk, I knew my hope was false.

     The moment the sun went down, I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I was in no better shape than before but sleep was done for me and I knew it. I was aware of him, Milos, the instant he awakened. He realized I was gone and began to search for me. I could hear him screaming my name over and over. I could feel him searching, calling; his longing just as bad as mine, his need just as consuming.

     I clenched my fists over my ears and tried to block the sound of his desperate pleas but he was sending them straight into my very soul. I understood, somehow, that if I answered him with my thoughts, he would know where I was and be able to find me. I fought to keep silent.

     It wasn't long, however, before Luke returned and tried to get me to come with him. "I'm taking you to the f*****g hospital, man. I don't want to hear any of your s**t either. Something is seriously wrong with you and I ain't having you dying on the floor," he said as he took my arm and forced me to stand.

     I allowed him to lead me out of the apartment, my feet moving against my will. He helped me down to the street and into his Mustang. As we started out, across town, I felt the first tremor of psychic energy hit me like a blast. I clenched my teeth and fought against it. Morsus, it had to be. He was looking for me now. All that bullshit about being free to go, it was so much crap!

     "Luke, forget the f*****g hospital! Take me to Saint Dominic's and step on it for the love of Christ! They're coming after me!"

     "Who the f**k is coming after you? What the s**t are you into, Alex?" Luke gasped as he jerked the steering wheel, bringing the Mustang around with a hard right.

     "I can't tell you because I don't want you to get sucked into this s**t. Just take me to St. Dominic's and then get the hell away from me!"

     Luke didn't ask any questions. He took a side street the wrong way at fifty miles per hour. I hoped, for his sake, that he wouldn't get pulled over.

     As we stopped in front of the old church, I felt the next searching blast of energy hit me and it took my breath away. I cried out in pain from the effort to keep it at bay. My God, Morsus was strong! It didn't matter though I was starting to get the distinct impression that my psychic power might be stronger than his. I could keep him off of me and it was pissing him off. I still heard Milos's cries in my head but I could tune them out.

     Luke helped me out of the car and up the steps. Overhead, the sky was dark and full of stars, the wind whipped up dust and trash around us. Luke reached up and pushed the bell on the door. We waited. After what seemed like an eternity, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching and an elderly man in pajamas opened the door and looked cautiously at us.

     "Please let me in!" I begged. "I need a confessional!"

     The old man looked from me to Luke and shook his head. "You need a hospital, go away," he said as he tried to shut the door.

     "Sorry padre but we're coming in," Luke said, shoving his way past the disheveled priest and holding the door open for me.

     I fell across the threshold and instantly the bombardment of voices and energy stopped. My head was clear and the awful, aching need for his bite was gone. It simply wasn't there. I sat up; kicking the door closed behind me and took slow deep breaths, not really able to believe that it was over. The trip here had been a nightmare.

     "I'm calling the police," the old priest said as he turned to walk into the nearby office.

     "Listen, I have to tell you something. I don't know if you will believe me or not but there are monsters after me. They can't get in here. Please let me stay here at least for tonight. I'll leave in the morning, I swear it. They won't come here. I promise you at first light I'm gone," I begged.

     "I don't let homeless drug addicts spend the night in my church. I could lose my position for something like that! You're just having some kind of hallucination. Nothing is after you…" the old man tried to protest. We were all three of us, startled by a slow, hard, steady knock at the door.

     "Don't answer that!" I screamed and I made a grab for the old man as he headed toward the door.

     "Man, what the f**k is going on?" Luke asked nervously, looking from me to the door with growing apprehension.

     "Alex, come out to me, please!"

     I could hear his voice calling through the door. It was Milos. They'd found me.

     "Who the hell is outside?" Luke asked.

     "That's it, I'm calling the police," the priest said again.

     "Stop him, Luke. I'll deal with what's outside that door. I don't think they can get in here. Just keep that old holy-roller from calling the cops. They got better things to do than die for me," I said, shoving Luke after the priest.

     "Man, this is some f****d up s**t right here!" Luke mumbled, scratching the back of his head as he followed the priest into the office. I reached for the door, pushing it shut behind Luke and bracing it closed with a chair from the hallway. I turned to face the heavy, wooden, double doors that lead to the street.

     "Alex, please!"

     His pleas were tearing at my heart. He sounded like a frightened child in pain. He was that but he was something so much more deadly. What could I do? I couldn't spend the night hiding here in this church with Milos right outside the door. Morsus was with him, I could feel that witch and he was ready to charge. He wanted to break the door down. He could try but I would stop him if he attempted it. They could cross the threshold but it would render them powerless, it was holy ground.

     "Alex, we just want to talk to you. Please open the door and come out of there. You know we don't want to come in. Milos needs you and you need him. You're in pain, I can feel it. So is he but his need is worse than yours. I'm not going to let my brother suffer like this. Either you come out of there or I'm going to knock this door down and drag you out."

     "Try it, you f*****g liar! You said I was free to go but that was bullshit! I'm a prisoner now and I don't take lightly to being held against my will. You need to get the hell out of here. I'm not coming out!"

     "Alex, are you ok?" Luke asked from behind the door.

     "I'm good, is the priest behaving? You didn't let him call the cops did you?" I asked.

     "No, he's just sitting here. Should I have him like pray the Rosary for you; maybe do an exorcism or something?" Luke asked jokingly.

     "You can't get rid of these things that easily," I answered.

     "What things?" Luke cried, the jest completely absent from his voice.

     "Alex, I need you! Please, I can't bear it! Come out to me!" Milos screamed.

     I couldn't stand it. His voice, his pleas, it was too much. My will was fragile and almost gone. I knew that I wouldn't be able to hold out against them all night. If Mircea joined them and added his powerful compulsion to the mix I would be drawn out against my will no matter what. I could hold off Morsus, even Milos but if they called for Mircea? No, there was no chance in hell. They knew it. I had no more cards to play.

     "Luke," I called through the door. "I'll miss you. Please don't try to find me. I'm sorry I got you into this s**t. They won't bother you when I'm gone. They only want me. Anyway, thanks for trying to help me."

     "Alex, don't you f*****g go out there! Alex!" Luke screamed my name as he tried to get the door open. "Alex!"

     I ignored him and walked toward the doors. My hand trembled as I reached for the knob and turned it slowly. My fate, my death waited for me on the other side. The doors swung slowly open. I took a deep, resigned breath and stepped out into the night.