Blood and Kisses

Chapter VI

"What do you mean by that?"

The muscles in Maxwell's face tightened, like he already knew what Aspen was about to tell. He tilted his head to one side and waited for her to answer.

"Can we talk about this somewhere... private?" nagpalinga linga siya. Her eyes suddenly strayed towards the homeless guy she fed on. He was still alive. If they leave him alone here, it would probably take a few more hours before he takes his last breath. Aspen doesn't want to be around at that time.

Nakahinga siya nang maluwag nang sa tingin niya ay naunawaan siya ni Maxwell dahil tumango ito at nagsimula silang maglakad papalayo doon. Gabi na at may mangilan ngilang tao na lang silang nakakasalubong. Maya maya ay humantong sila sa isang coffee shop na kakaunti lang ang customer. The shop looks like it had seen better days. Luma na ang mga upuan at pabilog na mesa nito. Ang nagbabantay ay isang may edad na lalaki, probably on his fifties. May isang nagsisilbi sa mga customer, isang dalagang nagngangalang Abby, base na rin sa nameplate nito.

Bukod sa matanda at kay Abby ay may isang lalaki din sa isang sulok. Customer. He looks old for his age. Naaamoy din ni Aspen na may sakit ito, probably something related to his heart. Masyadong mabagal ang t***k niyon.

Naupo sila ni Maxwell sa isang sulok. Um-order ito ng kape kay Abby at nang maihain ay saka lamang siya nito hinarap.

"How did you find this place?"

"Nung hindi kita mahagilap nang nakaraang linggo," he shrugged after taking a sip from his cup. "I knew you were living around the vicinity so I checked the area, and found this. The coffee was good."

"It's deserted." she pointed out.

"Yes, only a few people come here." he nodded. He eyed her with suspicion. "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

Aspen licked her lips nervously. "Nung gabing huli tayong nagkita, I went hunting." mahinang sabi niya. She knew nobody's paying them attention pero mas maganda nang nag-iingat. Hindi makakatulong na may makaalam ng nangyari sa kanila ni Xav. She just figured that maybe Maxwell could share some knowledge, afterall, isa itong hunter. Hunters know a lot about vampires. Maybe a lot more than she does.

"I came across this guy who can't be affected by my compulsion."

"A vampire?"

Umiling si Aspen. "He isn't like me. He's..human.. I guess?"

"Bakit parang hindi ka sigurado?"

"Yeah.. It's hard to explain. Masyado siyang kakaiba. He's too mesmerizing to be human." she tried to recall the night she met Xavier. "He had the vampire's allure. If you know what I mean? And like I told you, my compulsion does not affect him."

"That's curious," nahulog sa malalim na pag-iisip si Maxwell. "So, what happened? You told me you created a monster."

Sunod sunod siyang tumango. She played with her fingers while trying to think of a good way to tell him the story. "I fed on him, Max. His blood tasted so good, I couldn't stop from feeding." nasapo ni Aspen ang noo. "I almost killed him." she said in a whisper. Alam niyang maririnig parin siya nito. He had sensitive hearing, although not like hers. "And you know, I made a promise to Verena. I can't let him die.."

"You--" Maxwell paled.

"Yes," her jaw clenched. "I changed him."

"Holy shit."

"What?" she gaped at him. He knew something!

"I think I already have an idea what you're talking about." he answered gravely.

Mas lalong bumigat ang pakiramdam ni Aspen. Alam niyang masama ang ibig sabihin nito, base na rin sa reaksyon ni Maxwell. Hindi man niya gusto ay may kilabot na bumalot sa pagkatao niya. What have she done?

"Ituloy mo ang kwento.." udyok nito sa kanya.

"I thought it was over when I gave him my blood. But then.." napalunok siya.

"What?"

"I started feeling different. I felt like my blood's on fire. I lost consciousness at iyon na ang huli kong naalala." Aspen heaved a sigh. "I feel worse than a newborn when I woke up. Pero siya, he's much stronger. He isn't sensitive to sunlight. He even.. He doesn't crave blood, Maxwell. Was that even possible?"

Nahigit ng lalaki ang hininga nito. There was dread in his face as he studied her. She wish he would stop looking at her like that. Kinikilabutan siya. Ano bang nagawa niya?

"Have you tried having a hunter's blood, Aspen?" seryosong tanong nito kapagkuwan.

"No!" she answered incredulously. She knew better than to drink a hunter's blood. The ancient vampires warned them about such blood. Noon ay pinaniniwalaang marumi ang dugo ng mga ito, that there were a certain components in their blood that are considered poisonous to them. It was believed to be fatal when ingested.. Holy f-ck! "You can't mean-"

Tumango si Maxwell. "Yes, Aspen. That person has hunter blood."

"But I would have known!"

"It was masked."

"Masked by what?!" naiirita na si Aspen. Hindi sya tanga na iinom ng dugo ng hunter! Maamoy niya iyon kung sakali. Pero wala siyang naamoy kay Xavier. He smelled every piece human to her!

"It was neutralized by vampire's blood."

"Are you f-cking kidding me?!" bahagya nang tumaas ang boses niya at napatayo siya. Kalokohan ang sinasabi nito! That can't be! A hunter with a vampire's blood?

Maxwell motioned for her to sit down. Na siya namang ginawa niya. Napalingon sa kanila si Abby na abala sa pagpupunas ng mga bakanteng lamesa. Ang matandang may-ari ay abala sa panunuod ng telebisyon.

"That can't be, Maxwell. That's insane!" sabi niya sa mas mahinang boses. "Maamoy ko siya kung may dugo man siya ng hunter o ng bampira. And I swear, there's nothing in his blood! And besides, paanong mangyayari na may dugo siya ng pareho? That's f-cking insane! What is he? A hybrid or something?"

"Yes.." tahimik na sagot nito.

"Anong yes?!" nag-init muli ang ulo niya. "There are no recorded existence of hybrids, Maxwell! He can't be a child of a hunter and a vampire! Vampires are sterile. You know that! At walang nangyaring relasyon sa pagitan ng mga bampira at hunter. You and Verena were the first! Hindi totoo ang mga hybrids!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Ano bang sinasabi mo, Maxwell?!"

He sighed before he looked at her with menacing eyes. "Let me tell you a story, Aspen."

"This better be relevant, Maxwell.."

"You'll see."

"Anong nalalaman mo tungkol sa hunters?"

She sat back and looked out in the empty alley opposite of the old coffee shop. "Nothing much, ang alam ko lang gusto n'yo kaming ubusin. But that can't happen if one wants to maintain the earth's balance. That's why the gods created you with inhumane strength but not as strong as us, and he made you mortal."

"Yes, and the ability to reproduce."

"Unlike us who are sterile."

Tumango si Maxwell. "But you can create newborns.."

"Who are not a bit stronger than hunters, so you could easily kill them."

"That's why only the ancient vampires remain. Old vampires who knew about the balance. Only a few newborns survive, those newborns who are under the protection of their powerful creators or those who are members of a coven."

It's her turn to nod. Totoo iyon, kung nasa ilalim ng proteksyon ng isang makapangyarihang creator o isang malaking coven ang newborn ay mahihirapan ang mga hunters na galawin ito. "Pero anong kinalaman nito sa sinasabi mong hybrid?"

Maxwell's eyes turned cold. "Hindi lahat nagnanais ng balanseng mundo, Aspen. Mayroong iba na naghahangad ng kapangyarihan na higit pa sa nararapat para sa kanila."

"What do you mean?"

"Many years ago. Thousands, I believe. Hindi pa tayo parehong ipinapanganak," aniya. "May mga grupo ng hunters na nagnais na makamtam ang kapangyarihang higit pa sa mga uri mo. But you know, that was not possible, since God created us as weaker creation."

"Ngunit sa pagnanais nilang ito ay gumawa sila ng eksperimento."

"What kind of experiment?" she edged towards him.

"Creating hybrids."

Aspen gasped.

"Five hunters were used in the experiments. They mixed vampire blood in their veins thinking that it will give them immense powers." he took a long sip on his cup. Pinahid ni Maxwell ang naglalandas na pawis sa kanyang noo.

"Anong nangyari?"

"True enough, naging makapangyarihan nga sila. They became immortals like vampires, they obtained powers only a vampire has. Highly sensitive senses, lightning speed. Only minus the quirks of being light sensitive and craving for blood."

Nanlaki ang mata ni Aspen. "So, si Xavier..?"

Maxwell smirked. "Was that the monster's name?"

Inirapan ko siya.

He playfully laughed although Aspen can still sense his unease. "Ngunit isa iyong paglabag sa alituntunin. Nang ginawa ng mga diyos ang mga hunter, the gods made them promise that they will never fuse bloods with vampires. He made it clear that vampires are their enemies and that their blood are poison to us."

"There has to be a consequence at hindi iyon naisip ng mga ancient hunters. Tuwang tuwa sila dahil akala nila mas malakas na sila sa mga bampira. Soon they were slaying a lot of your kind. Vampires become extinct. Only a few numbers remained."

"Soon, the elders began to counsel. Ipinaglaban ng mga hybrids na dapat nang ubusin ang mga natitirang bampira. One hunter reminded them of the balance, therefore they shouldn't kill them all. Marami ang sumangayon dito at natalo ang mga hybrids." he sat back on his chair and intertwined his fingers on top of the table. "Dahil doon, nag-alsa ang mga hybrids. They knew they are powerful and they should be the one to rule."

"And then?"

"They began annihilating some of their kinds. Lahat ng hindi umanib sa kanila, papatayin kasama ng mga bampira." anito. "Maraming pumanig sa kanila at mayroon ding hindi. Ngunit masyadong makapangyarihan ang mga hybrids, ang mga tumiwalag sa kanila ay naisip na hindi nila kayang talunin ang mga ito ng mag-isa. That's when they sought the help of the remaining vampires."

Namangha si Aspen sa sinabi ni Maxwell. Totoo ba iyon? Was there a time when vampires and their hunters had an alliance?

"Vampires had their doubts regarding the hunter's motives but they knew their numbers are swiftly declining. They had to do something."

"How on earth did they manage to kill the hybrids? You said they were powerful? Even more powerful than vampires?" naguguluhang tanong ni Aspen.

Nagtawa si Maxwell. "We will get to that part." aniya. "Sa kabilang banda, ang hindi alam ng mga hybrids ay hindi pa tapos ang transpormasyon nila. Their blood and genes are just beginning to fuse with the vampire's blood."

"It takes more than two weeks to complete the transition. How far along are they?"

"About a day or so?" sagot nito. "When their genetic make-ups began to fuse together, that was when the fun starts.."

Kumunot ang noo nya at ipinilig ang ulo. "Anong ibig mo sabihin?"

"They didn't know that it depends on the genetic make-up of the hunter if they if they will do well with the transformation."

"Hindi ko maintindihan."

"Hindi rin ako sigurado, Aspen. Pero tulad ng maraming bagay sa mundo, we all react at a certain influence differently."

"Sa makatuwid anong nangyari?"

Maxwell smiled. "Apat sa mga hybrids ang namatay."

"Of what?"

"Poisoning? Rejection?" he speculates. "Kung ano ang nagiging reaksyon ng mga tao sa organ transplant? That's what happened to the hybrids."

"You mean they weren't compatible."

"You can put it that way."

Kahit paano ay napayapa ang loob ni Aspen. Ngunit may bigla siyang naalala. "But you said there were five hybrids?"

Napatiim bagang si Maxwell sa tanong niya. "Yes," he answered. "Drakkar survived."

"So that's the monster's name?" Aspen jeered.

Maxwell laughed humorlessly. "Yes. That was his name. Like I told you, we all have different reactions to everything. The vampires blood did not kill Drakkar. He.."

"He what?"

"He became a monster like you said." bumagsak ang balikat nito at napailing. "They all thought that being blood thirsty wasn't one of the qualities that hybrids did not acquire from vampires. It's true. Until their genes finally fused."

"What had he become?"

"Blood lust. That was what he got." sagot nito. "Hindi lang niya basta kailangan ng dugo para mag-survive. He wanted blood. Period. Their thirst could not be satiated by one feeding. He has to feed nonstop. Muntik maubos ang sangkatauhan nang dahil sa isang hybrid, Aspen."