Blue Skin: Book One

1 I open the car window, light another cigarette, and stare at Jacob as he plays on his front lawn. The neighbourhood is quiet, peaceful, like the setting of The Stepford Wives movie. I like it. It reminds me of Grandpa’s old house. Tall trees growing out from the wide pavements. Front drives, big enough for two cars, maybe even a caravan. Perfectly maintained front lawns and flowerbeds. You don’t get this in London, that’s for sure. It’s just smog, traffic jams and bad attitudes. Then why the hell do I miss it so much? I bet Jacob’s mother hasn’t put any sun-cream on him. He’s going to get burnt out in this heat. Wiping my sweaty forehead, I take a deep breath, tuck in my white t-shirt, and then climb out of the car. For some reason, I feel my heart speed up a little, and a tiny flutter of nerves in my stomach. Why? It’s not like I haven’t done this before. “Hi, Jacob,” I say, casually, and then flick my cigarette on the pavement. The little boy looks up at me, and smiles, his blond hair glowing in the sunlight. “Hello.” “Are your parents home?” I ask, sitting on the low wall. Jacob nods and points his Thor action figure at the cream-coloured house. “What’s that you’re playing with?” “Thor,” he replies, bouncing the toy along the lawn. “He’s a superhero.” “Oh, of course. I used to love Thor when I was your age. He was always my favourite Avenger.” “Mine, too.” “I used to have all sorts of superhero toys,” I say, swinging my feet over the wall onto the grass. “Spider-Man. Batman. I even had a Wonder Woman toy.” “Wonder Woman?” Jacob asks, like I’ve just said a curse word. “Well, it wasn’t mine. It was my sister’s. I used to borrow it sometimes.” I climb off the wall and kneel beside him. “You’ve got a sister, haven’t you, Jacob? Is she home right now?” He doesn’t answer, just looks down at the grass, his body stiffening, barely moving his toy. “What’s wrong, buddy?” “I don’t have a sister,” he replies, still with his eyes down. I shuffle closer. “You don’t have to worry, Jacob. I’m a close friend of your mum and dad.” I elbow him softly in his side. “Hey, you might remember me.” He looks at me with a confused frown. “Oh, wait, I forgot. Babies don’t remember the day they were born.” His frown doesn’t disappear, only hardens. A small grin forms on my face. “I was your mother’s doctor when you were born.” Jacob’s freckled face lights up. “You’re a doctor?” “That’s right. And that’s why I’m here. Your mum asked me to come check on your little sister.” “Oh, right. I suppose that’s okay then.” He turns and points at his house again. “My sister’s in her bedroom.” “Good boy, Jacob,” I say, ruffling up his soft hair. “But she’s sleeping.” He starts to bounce his toy along the grass again, this time with added swishing sounds. “She’s always sleeping.” I reach into my jeans pocket, pull out my walkie-talkie, and speak into the mouthpiece. “She’s in the house! Move! Move! Move!” A loud screeching noise engulfs the street as backup soars towards us. The kid leaps to his feet, startled as the white HCA van pulls up in front of the house. The doors fly open and Scott and Chloe scramble out, followed by Nick, who is armed with a steel door-ram. Chloe takes Jacob’s hand and ushers him away from the house, leaving the rest of us to sprint to the front door. Scott unclips his stun-g*n baton from his belt and rings the doorbell. There’s no answer. He knocks hard this time. Still nothing. Scott passes me a handgun and I give Nick the nod to break down the door. He draws back the ram and slams it into the centre of the door, splitting the plastic. On the second attempt, the door buckles, the glass panel cracks, and we barge inside the dimly-lit house. “Get out of here!” a woman screams, coming from the kitchen doorway, brandishing a meat-cleaver. Nick drops the door-ram, unclips his stun-g*n baton, and sends a jolt of electricity into her chest. Convulsing, she drops to the floor in a heap, the meat-cleaver slipping out of her hand. “Cuff her,” I order Nick. At the far end of the open-plan living room, there’s a large set of glass, patio doors. The blinds are closed, with the glare from the TV the only source of light. “And get those blinds open now!” “Roger that,” he says, clipping a set of handcuffs around the woman’s wrists. Scott and I rush up the stairs. At the top of the dark landing, a man swings a baseball bat at Scott’s head, but it catches the wall instead. Scott drives his fist into the man’s jaw, dropping him unconscious on the carpet. “Use your stun-g*n next time,” I snap. “We’re not savages!” “Sorry, boss,” he says, handcuffing the man to the radiator pipe. There are four doors on the landing, three of which are ajar. We move over to the only closed door. I twist the handle, but it’s locked. Heart racing, I step back and then slam my foot into it, thrusting it open with ease. I hit the light switch on the wall, but nothing happens. Scott unclips his torch from his belt and shines it into the pitch-black room. g*n pointed ahead, I follow him inside. As the light bounces around the room, I catch a glimpse of a wardrobe, a desk, a chest of drawers and an empty, unmade single bed—but no sister. “We know you’re in here,” I say with authority. “So come out slowly and no one gets hurt.” I listen for movement, sound, but there’s nothing. I point to the bed. Scott drops to one knee and quickly checks underneath. Shaking his head, he moves over to the wardrobe. Scott grabs a handle and pulls the door open, my g*n aimed at the opening. He does the same for the other door. Empty, apart from a few hanging clothes. “Where the hell is she?” he asks. I look up at the ceiling. “Attic.” Just as we turn to leave, something catches my eye. Movement from the top of the wardrobe. I snatch the torch and point it at the large, black mass. The light captures a set of bright, yellow eyes and the mass comes alive. “She’s here!” I scream as she leaps down onto the bed, silent like a cat. A blanket drops off her n***d body as she propels herself through the window. The glass shatters and she disappears outside. “Go! Go! Go!” I order Scott, but he’s already halfway out the door. From the broken window, I see the vampire lying on the grass in the back garden, her blue flesh sizzling in the sunlight. Squealing in agony, she crawls across the lawn. Within seconds, Scott opens the patio door and races outside. He unravels his fire blanket and quickly covers her with it. He then rams his stun-g*n baton into the side of her neck, and the squealing ends. Stepping over the unconscious father, I make my way downstairs. “You can’t do this!” the handcuffed mother yells, watching in horror as her daughter’s limp, smouldering body is dragged across the living room and out through the front door. “She’s my little girl, you bastards!” “She’s not your little girl,” I say, slightly out of breath. “She belongs to the government.” Eyes streaming, snot running into her mouth, the woman struggles against Nick’s grip. I sit on the arm of the couch and glare at her. “What on earth were you thinking?” I ask with a shake of my head. “Go to Hell!” she barks at me. “We’re already in Hell, love,” I point out. “And that’s why we do this job: to put this great country back together.” “You’re just a bunch of monsters!” “No. The only monster is your daughter.” I motion with my head to the open front door. “And if you can’t see—” I notice something. The woman is standing slightly to the side. She’s hiding something. Her loose-fitting white dress is covering a small bulge in her abdomen. She’s pregnant. Suddenly, she drives her knee into Nick’s groin, freeing her arm from his clutch, and then bolts through the front door. Before she even gets to the lawn, I fire a bullet into her right thigh, and she plunges onto the concrete. “Mummy!” Jacob cries from the side of the van, dropping his Thor toy on the pavement. Chloe keeps hold of him as he squirms hysterically. I slip the g*n into my pocket and walk over to the boy. Kneeling down in front of him, I take his hand. “Your parents are going to be fine, Jacob. They just made a mistake. I’m sure the judge will be fair.” “What about my sister?” Jacob asks, tears gushing down his little cheeks. I pick up the toy, dust off the grit, and hand it over to him. “I’m afraid you’ll never see her again.” Part II FREYA LAWSON