Aeon Flux, chapter 4
Rayne sat on the floor crying as she rocked back and forth with her arms wrapped around Camilla's dead body. Her blood red tears streamed down her face falling onto Camilla's pale cold forehead plastering her blond hair to her head. Greyan came up behind her and gently tried to ply Rayne's fingers away but she screamed and threw him across the room. Already Camilla's body was starting to fade away. Her face which had once been so warm and full of life was becoming translucent.
"Rayne," said Adrienne putting a hand delicately on her shoulder. "What happened?"
Rayne inhaled deeply and stood up on shaky legs. Without a word she walked across the living room and out the front door.
"Rayne!!," Greyan called after her, but she ignored him and kept on walking.
"I'll get her," said Billie. "Tre can you call 911?"
"NO," Greyan's loud command startled everyone. "Her body will be gone in a few minutes anyway... see." he pointed down at Camilla and already it was hard to see her legs as they were just a faint outline.
"What the fuck is going on here," asked Mike backing away from the older man.
"Everything will be explained as soon as Billie gets back with Rayne," said Greyan looking over at Billie Joe.
"Oh... ok... .I'll be right back," said Billie as he jogged out of the house.
The sky was cloudy and overcast and the wind was strong and cold. Billie Joe was beginning to wish he had at least grabbed his jacket on the way out. He could see Rayne's dark figure up ahead. Her long black hair was flowing out behind her accentuating the red streaks. After almost twenty minutes of walking Rayne turned into a small park. Instead of walking right past Rayne sat down on one of the benches that were located in front of the jungle gym. Billie could see nervous parents glancing over at the young woman dressed completely in black. Billie Joe sat down beside her and leaned forward trying to catch his breathe.
"Jesus Christ you could have waited up for me!" he laughed as he hugged his sides shivering.
Rayne ignored his comment and instead continued to stare at a young parent playing with their child.
"You really want to know what went on back there?" Rayne asked breaking the silence.
Billie Joe nodded as Rayne turned to look him in the eye.
"Because once I tell you there is no going back!"
Billie nodded again as Rayne took a deep breathe.
"Camilla and I," she paused at the mention of her dead friends name. "We...we have been hiding something from you that now I realize you should have known about right away. I don't know how in the world to explain something like this." she laughed nervously as she fiddled with her hands. "Were you ever into horror stories as a small child or teenager?"
"Not really." Replied Billie. " I watched horror movies but I was never really in to that whole science fiction thing."
"Well you know the whole Vampire Dracula thing at least, right?" she asked looking up at Billie Joe.
"Yeah, but I don... "
"You don't believe in that stuff do you?" Rayne interrupted.
"No"
"What if I told you that all these years you were wrong?" she watched as a confused expression covered his face.
"What if I told you that in this world Vampires do exist, but are very different from the Hollywood stereotype? That when the Red Cross collects your blood for supposed people in need, half of it goes to us so we can minimize the amount of people we have to kill. Or that almost seventy five percent of the people you see on missing persons posters are victims of vampires."
"You're fucking crazy," Billie yelled jumping up from the bench.
Rayne reached forward and grabbed him by the shoulder pulling him back to the bench. The force in which he connected with the seat caused some of the boards to split.
"Sit the fuck down," she growled exposing her canine teeth which had become long and sharp.
Billie stared at her wide eyed as he swallowed hard. "o... okay... .I'm... li... .listening."
"Now the reason your children got sucked into this "underworld" if you will, is because almost a thousand years ago when the last tithe was due a girl name Jezebel gathered a group of followers to try and overthrow our government. She called her group the Brimstone society and she strongly believed that Vampires could take over the world if they wanted too but where being oppressed by the heads of the houses. You see it's like your government how you have representatives for each state we have a representative for each household. You belong to a household if someone who is originally from there is your maker."
"Maker?" Billie Joe interrupted her.
"It's like your creator; it's whoever drank half your blood instead of finishing you off. You see unlike the Hollywood idea, if all your blood is drained you aren't coming back, you die, but if just enough is taken from your body then you become the living dead. You become immortal, but at a very high price. In order to stay alive you must drink the blood of the living and so the cycle starts all over again. But a vampire can only be created by a pure blood, which is a vampire whose parents were both vampires when he or she was created and born. So myself, being a half blood, were to bite you right now you would die. But if I were to have a child with another vampire and that child were to bite someone, then the person they bit could become a vampire. Confusing eh!" she laughed.
Billie nodded his eyes wide.
"But back to the whole Jezebel thing. She gained enough followers that an uprising broke out which eventually turned into a full out war. You see although the idea was in her opinion, in the best interest of the vampire nation, if we were to take over eventually our food supply would run out."
"You mean all of us would be killed," he commented.
"Exactly because without any limitations or restrictions the vampire population would climb dramatically and then BOOM we run out of food and everyone and every thing dies off. That's why we have to save your children. If Jezebel completes the tithe before the houses then she wins and the world as we know it comes to an end."
"So you're doing this to save your race not to save our children" Billie Joe glared up at her.
"I'm doing it for both reasons... because I know what its like to lose a child... see that woman over there," Rayne pointed at a young women with blond hair who was playing with her son. "That's my daughter."
Billie Joe stared at the women before turning back to Rayne.
"Doesn't she recognize you?" he asked
"No," said Rayne her eyes glazed over. "She thinks I'm some crack whore who abandoned her at birth. But I had no choice. I had her before I became what I am today and by giving her up I saved her. She would have been transformed into one of us and I couldn't have let that happen to her."
"I'm sorry," said Billie Joe taking Rayne's hands in his own.
"Its kind of pathetic how I come here just to see her," she laughed as she wiped away tears. "Yet all this time she has no idea who the hell I am."
The two sat there for a few moments before Rayne stood up.
"We should get going," she said pulling her hood over her head. "If I remember the whole process correctly we have until Saturday at midnight which only gives us four days."
"Rayne," Billie Joe called stopping just behind her.
She turned around to see tears dripping down his face.
"What are the chances of my kids surviving this and be honest cuz I don't want some bullshit, sugar coated lie."
"The chances are fair if we act quickly but the longer we sit around the slimmer the chances become," Rayne said not making eye contact. "So let's get a move on, we need to find this Kaye person."
***
Jezebel sat in the dilapidated, brown, leather chair. The dust from the floor was swirling up into her lungs and she couldn't help but cough.
"Ravus, where the fucks were you?" she snapped at the middle aged man who stumbled through the door.
Ravus had long brown hair which came to just below his shoulders but was at the moment tied back in a pony tale. His face was covered in scars and his skin was old and weathered. He was like the complete opposite to Jezebel who was young with long blond hair. She would only pass as ten but she was far, far older.
"Will you answer the bloody question you ol... what do you think your doing?", she screamed.
"Sorry Belle!" said Ravus as he pulled the trigger.
"Rayne," said Adrienne putting a hand delicately on her shoulder. "What happened?"
Rayne inhaled deeply and stood up on shaky legs. Without a word she walked across the living room and out the front door.
"Rayne!!," Greyan called after her, but she ignored him and kept on walking.
"I'll get her," said Billie. "Tre can you call 911?"
"NO," Greyan's loud command startled everyone. "Her body will be gone in a few minutes anyway... see." he pointed down at Camilla and already it was hard to see her legs as they were just a faint outline.
"What the fuck is going on here," asked Mike backing away from the older man.
"Everything will be explained as soon as Billie gets back with Rayne," said Greyan looking over at Billie Joe.
"Oh... ok... .I'll be right back," said Billie as he jogged out of the house.
The sky was cloudy and overcast and the wind was strong and cold. Billie Joe was beginning to wish he had at least grabbed his jacket on the way out. He could see Rayne's dark figure up ahead. Her long black hair was flowing out behind her accentuating the red streaks. After almost twenty minutes of walking Rayne turned into a small park. Instead of walking right past Rayne sat down on one of the benches that were located in front of the jungle gym. Billie could see nervous parents glancing over at the young woman dressed completely in black. Billie Joe sat down beside her and leaned forward trying to catch his breathe.
"Jesus Christ you could have waited up for me!" he laughed as he hugged his sides shivering.
Rayne ignored his comment and instead continued to stare at a young parent playing with their child.
"You really want to know what went on back there?" Rayne asked breaking the silence.
Billie Joe nodded as Rayne turned to look him in the eye.
"Because once I tell you there is no going back!"
Billie nodded again as Rayne took a deep breathe.
"Camilla and I," she paused at the mention of her dead friends name. "We...we have been hiding something from you that now I realize you should have known about right away. I don't know how in the world to explain something like this." she laughed nervously as she fiddled with her hands. "Were you ever into horror stories as a small child or teenager?"
"Not really." Replied Billie. " I watched horror movies but I was never really in to that whole science fiction thing."
"Well you know the whole Vampire Dracula thing at least, right?" she asked looking up at Billie Joe.
"Yeah, but I don... "
"You don't believe in that stuff do you?" Rayne interrupted.
"No"
"What if I told you that all these years you were wrong?" she watched as a confused expression covered his face.
"What if I told you that in this world Vampires do exist, but are very different from the Hollywood stereotype? That when the Red Cross collects your blood for supposed people in need, half of it goes to us so we can minimize the amount of people we have to kill. Or that almost seventy five percent of the people you see on missing persons posters are victims of vampires."
"You're fucking crazy," Billie yelled jumping up from the bench.
Rayne reached forward and grabbed him by the shoulder pulling him back to the bench. The force in which he connected with the seat caused some of the boards to split.
"Sit the fuck down," she growled exposing her canine teeth which had become long and sharp.
Billie stared at her wide eyed as he swallowed hard. "o... okay... .I'm... li... .listening."
"Now the reason your children got sucked into this "underworld" if you will, is because almost a thousand years ago when the last tithe was due a girl name Jezebel gathered a group of followers to try and overthrow our government. She called her group the Brimstone society and she strongly believed that Vampires could take over the world if they wanted too but where being oppressed by the heads of the houses. You see it's like your government how you have representatives for each state we have a representative for each household. You belong to a household if someone who is originally from there is your maker."
"Maker?" Billie Joe interrupted her.
"It's like your creator; it's whoever drank half your blood instead of finishing you off. You see unlike the Hollywood idea, if all your blood is drained you aren't coming back, you die, but if just enough is taken from your body then you become the living dead. You become immortal, but at a very high price. In order to stay alive you must drink the blood of the living and so the cycle starts all over again. But a vampire can only be created by a pure blood, which is a vampire whose parents were both vampires when he or she was created and born. So myself, being a half blood, were to bite you right now you would die. But if I were to have a child with another vampire and that child were to bite someone, then the person they bit could become a vampire. Confusing eh!" she laughed.
Billie nodded his eyes wide.
"But back to the whole Jezebel thing. She gained enough followers that an uprising broke out which eventually turned into a full out war. You see although the idea was in her opinion, in the best interest of the vampire nation, if we were to take over eventually our food supply would run out."
"You mean all of us would be killed," he commented.
"Exactly because without any limitations or restrictions the vampire population would climb dramatically and then BOOM we run out of food and everyone and every thing dies off. That's why we have to save your children. If Jezebel completes the tithe before the houses then she wins and the world as we know it comes to an end."
"So you're doing this to save your race not to save our children" Billie Joe glared up at her.
"I'm doing it for both reasons... because I know what its like to lose a child... see that woman over there," Rayne pointed at a young women with blond hair who was playing with her son. "That's my daughter."
Billie Joe stared at the women before turning back to Rayne.
"Doesn't she recognize you?" he asked
"No," said Rayne her eyes glazed over. "She thinks I'm some crack whore who abandoned her at birth. But I had no choice. I had her before I became what I am today and by giving her up I saved her. She would have been transformed into one of us and I couldn't have let that happen to her."
"I'm sorry," said Billie Joe taking Rayne's hands in his own.
"Its kind of pathetic how I come here just to see her," she laughed as she wiped away tears. "Yet all this time she has no idea who the hell I am."
The two sat there for a few moments before Rayne stood up.
"We should get going," she said pulling her hood over her head. "If I remember the whole process correctly we have until Saturday at midnight which only gives us four days."
"Rayne," Billie Joe called stopping just behind her.
She turned around to see tears dripping down his face.
"What are the chances of my kids surviving this and be honest cuz I don't want some bullshit, sugar coated lie."
"The chances are fair if we act quickly but the longer we sit around the slimmer the chances become," Rayne said not making eye contact. "So let's get a move on, we need to find this Kaye person."
***
Jezebel sat in the dilapidated, brown, leather chair. The dust from the floor was swirling up into her lungs and she couldn't help but cough.
"Ravus, where the fucks were you?" she snapped at the middle aged man who stumbled through the door.
Ravus had long brown hair which came to just below his shoulders but was at the moment tied back in a pony tale. His face was covered in scars and his skin was old and weathered. He was like the complete opposite to Jezebel who was young with long blond hair. She would only pass as ten but she was far, far older.
"Will you answer the bloody question you ol... what do you think your doing?", she screamed.
"Sorry Belle!" said Ravus as he pulled the trigger.
