Ultimatums
(Evan)
I screamed out in a rage at the situation that I was in. I couldn’t believe that I had let myself get captured by Director Croft and his flunkies. The man was starving me just to try and get beneath my skin, but I wasn’t having any of it. Let him try to starve me into submission. I would find a way to take him down. It was Uncle Mason that kept me informed on what was going on while I was being held prisoner.
“He’s adamant that he’s going to get his army, Evan.” Uncle Mason told me. “He’s even gone so far as to suggest that he’ll kill Ethan just to get what he wants.”
“I won’t let that happen, Uncle Mason.” I told him casually. I had already learned that it was pointless for me to get upset over being in the prison. The bars were electrified, and I knew I wouldn’t be getting out that way any time soon. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“I hope so, Evan.” My uncle told me quietly. “I think he’s getting desperate.”
I shrugged.
“Let him, Uncle Mason. I’m going to kill him before all of this is said and done.” I said with a sigh. “Does my father know?”
“Yes, he does.” My uncle replied. “He said that there is something that you have to do while you’re here. He wouldn’t say what it was, though.”
“Can you try to find out for me?” I asked desperately. “I’m not going to be able to accomplish much of anything if Croft keeps starving me like this.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“That’s all I can ask for, Uncle Mason.”
Uncle Mason nodded before he left me alone again. I welcomed the time I had by myself. It gave me time to think about everything that I had already been through, and what everybody kept telling me was coming. Ethan was missing and my best friend was turning into a vampire. There was also Leonard whom I had bit to save his life from a gunshot wound.
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered as I realized the impact I had already had on everyone around me. “I’ve created three monsters and all they want me to do is create more.”
I turned my gaze to the hallway of doors behind me. Most of them were filled with prisoners from the facility above, and I knew that those were the ones that Al Croft wanted me to create his army from. Those were his chosen ones. They were going to be the next set of monsters if I let Croft get his way.
“That’s not going to happen,” I whispered defiantly.
“Can you really stick to that when the monster is finally let loose?” Marcel asked from behind one of the cell doors. “Will you be able to maintain any semblance of control when Agent Croft finally opens the doors to your buffet?”
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out, Marcel.”
Each day passed slowly for me while I was in the prison. There was nothing for me to do but stare at the walls and try to fine tune my ability. I used the prisoners as test subjects as I practiced pushing memories and thoughts into their minds. The first mind I touched was dark, and I couldn’t seem to break through the barriers the person had setup around their own mind. Other than that, the practice was going well for me until I stumbled across a prisoner that didn’t even belong in the cells. He had been falsely accused of murdering two children, but there was no evidence in his favor. I searched his memories over and over again only to come to the conclusion that he had been set up by someone. If I had to change anybody, it would only be him.
It was finally on my eleventh day that Director Croft returned to speak with me.
“What do you want?” I asked with a defiant growl.
“I’ve come to offer you a new deal, Evan.” Agent Croft stated with a smug grin.
“What now, Croft?” I demanded.
Anger flickered across his face for a moment before he regained his composure.
“I’ve decided that if you create three new vampires for me, I will let you leave this place.” The eggplant shaped man stated.
“And, if I don’t?”
“Look up for a moment.”
I did as the man instructed.
“Do you see that seam in the ceiling above you?” Croft asked.
“I do,” I said. “What about it?”
“If you do not give me three new vampires, I am going to open the ceiling and let the sunlight turn you to ash.”
I feigned surprise and fear. That was the exact thing I needed on my side. Nobody knew that I was immune to the harmful rays of the sun.
“I knew that I could get you to play on my field, Evan.” Croft stated indignantly. “All you needed was a little motivation.”
I frowned at the man.
“If I create three vampires, you’ll let me leave?”
“Yes,” Al Croft replied with a hiss. “Take it or leave it!”
“I don’t get any time to think about this?” I asked trying to stall the man.
“No, Evan. I want an answer now.”
I glanced over to see my uncle shake his head no at me, but my mind had already been made up. I knew exactly how to get away from Section-9.
“It’s still daylight out, Evan.” Al warned me. “I wouldn’t want you to lose your own life. Just think about poor Tatum being out there in the world all alone. Without his Maker he would be vulnerable to other vampires destroying him. Would you really wish that upon your cousin?”
I frowned. I was through with his childish games.
“When do you want to do this?” I demanded.
“Tonight,” Croft replied quickly. “I’ll be back at sunset to let your new friends out of their cages. Hell, I’ll even let you drain some of them. I’ll see you tonight, Evan.”
Director Croft took one last glance at me before he turned and bade my uncle to follow him from the room. I pushed my back up against the wall and let myself slump to the floor.
“That man challenges my patience,” Marcel growled. “I don’t believe that you’re really going to create three more vampires, Evan.”
“I’m not,” I stated. “Not that it’s any of your business, Marcel.”
I heard Marcel chuckle.
“Do you want to know why I helped Sonya create her army?” His voice sounded smug as he spoke to me.
“I don’t really care,” I replied.
“You should,” he stated. “It involves your brother.”
“What did you just fucking say?” I hissed at the man. I ran towards the door that barred me from the corridor with all of the prisoners in it. “What do you know about my brother?”
“I know everything about your entire family, Evan.” Marcel stated smugly. I fought the urge to grab the bars of the door. I had already made that mistake. It definitely hurts when you’re electrocuted while being a vampire. “I also know that Sonya is using the army as a trap.”
“What do you mean, Marcel?”
“So, now you care?” He asked me. “When it involves you and your family, you care. Fuck the remainder of the world though, right?” Marcel chuckled lightly. He was right, though. I suddenly realized how selfish I had been the entire time. I only considered how changing my brother into a vampire affected me or my family. I ignored everything the others had been telling me about my destiny. “Don’t worry, Evan. I won’t tell anybody your secret.”
“Fuck you, Marcel.” I growled. “I hope you burn in the sun.”
“I already know my fate, Chosen One.” He stated calmly. “Do you know yours?”
I sighed and returned to my position on the floor with my head leaned back against the wall.
“What would you do in my situation?” I asked him quietly.
“I would do whatever it took to stay alive, Evan.” I could tell that he was being honest with me, I just didn’t want to believe him. “It may surprise you to hear this, Evan. But I really am one of the good guys.”
“Then, why are you helping Sonya?”
“I can’t refuse her, Evan.” Marcel stated soberly. “She’s my Sire.”
I was stunned into silence. Marcel chuckled lightly.
“Not the answer that you were expecting, was it?”
“Not really,” I told him.
“Now, would you like to know what Sonya has planned for the Alliance?”
I couldn’t help it. He had gotten me curious about Sonya. I could almost hear his smug grin as his question taunted me.
“Let me begin with this, Evan.” Marcel suggested. “I know where Sonya is keeping your brother.”
I couldn’t stop the gasp that left my lips. The vampire chuckled darkly.
“I take it that I have your attention, now?”
“Tell me everything,” I said in a whisper.
“Gladly,” Marcel replied. “I wish I could have denied Sonya’s request, Evan. I even tried, but she used her will as my Sire to force me into creating the army for her. It was one of the last things I wanted to do. I love Leslie, and I would do anything for her, but Sonya’s use of her will ruined Leslie’s trust in me. It’s something I will never be able to get back, Evan.” I heard the man sigh dejectedly before he continued. “Sonya is going to have her army break apart into patrol groups, and they’re going to monitor the city as the Alliance moves into their positions of attack. Then, the patrol groups are going to move to the hotel while the army at the warehouse gets ready for their battle. That’s all I really know, Evan. In smaller groups, the newborns will be easier to manage than if they were all herded towards the warehouse. You might even have to get some of them to follow you away from the hotel just to be able to get inside.”
“I need to worry about getting out of here, first.”
“That’s easy, Evan.” Marcel said smugly. “Your brush with the sun should be enough to show you that. Agitate Croft enough to open the door in the ceiling and you’ll be home free.”
“Easier said than done, Marcel.” I told him pointedly.
“Not really, Evan.” The older vampire corrected me. “Agent Croft is very worried about his position and standing within the CIA. If you threaten his reputation enough, he will open the ceiling on you. I’d wait until after your newborn awakens, though.”
I growled.
“I’m not changing one of these fucks into vampires,” I declared angrily. “They’re nothing but monsters!”
“Not all of them are, Evan. If you use your ability to read their minds, you’ll know what I’m talking about,” Marcel said. “Have you been introduced to Felix, yet?”
“No,” I told him.
“He’ll be able to teach you everything about your ability, Evan.” Marcel said softly. “Don’t face Sonya until you finish your training with Felix, though.”
“Why?”
“You will fail, and your little brother will die at the hands of that obnoxious monster.”
I had nothing to say to Marcel’s comment, so I just leaned back against the wall in silence and thought about the different things he had told me over the past few days.
“I need you to relay a message to Dylan for me, Evan.” Marcel went on when I stayed silent.
“Of course, Marcel.” I readily agreed. It was the least I could do after all of the information he had just given me. “What’s the message?”
Director Croft stood across from me with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a black suit and had a smug grin on his face. The four other agents that stood behind him looked afraid, and I couldn’t help but grin as I heard their heartbeats beating faster. Uncle Mason stood slightly behind Croft to his left with an apprehensive expression on his face.
“Are you ready, Evan?” The man asked.
“Yes, Director Croft.” I replied. “I’m ready.”
He nodded and motioned towards the control panel.
“Do it, Agent Emerson.” Director Croft stated haughtily. “It’s time that we finally got our share of the contract fulfilled.”
Agent Emerson nodded briefly before he reached over to the control panel next to him and entered a code to unlock all of the doors. I growled slightly when I heard the doors click open followed by the doors at either end of the cell block. I took quick notice of Dougie’s panic filled thoughts as his door swung open in front of him.
“Listen up!” Agent Croft called out. “Everybody, get into the hallway, now!”
I turned and watched as the doors swung open and eleven men dressed in orange stepped out into the fluorescent lit corridor. They all turned their heads to where the voice was coming from and saw me standing there as my own door swung open.
“Do you see the child in front of you?” Agent Croft called out. I noticed that two of the men leered at me as if I was a piece of meat, while another began to imagine himself cutting me to pieces. The rest appeared to be hesitant as they took in my narrow form. All except Dougie Meyer, the nineteen-year-old that had been falsely imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Dougie looked downright terrified as he looked me directly in the eyes. It was as if he knew what kind of monster I really was. “I’ve brought him here to slaughter all of you, and your only chance of escape is through the door behind you. If you are able to escape him for at least three hours, I will let you live for another night. If you don’t manage to elude my new friend here, I’m certain that you will never see another sunrise in your meaningless life.”
Dougie’s green eyes went wide as he knew that what Director Croft was saying was true. One of the men pushed through the group and stepped out to the front. I watched as Dougie began to edge his way towards the open door at the other end of the hallway. He knew what was coming. I took a quick note of his scent before I turned my attention to the man that thought he was an Alpha Male.
“I say we just kill him now, and we’ll never have to worry about it.” The man stated as he started to crack his knuckles. He smiled wickedly at me and I saw that his four front teeth were gold plated. He had a small cross tattooed under his left eye, and there were multiple designs covering the skin of his neck and his hands.
“If you think you can,” Agent Croft invited the man forward. “If you can take Evan out by yourself, I will let you walk away from this place a free man.”
“I want it in writing!” The convict demanded.
“We don’t have time for that,” Croft stated. “Either try or don’t. It doesn’t matter either way. Haven’t you noticed how he hasn’t taken his eyes off any of you since you stepped into the hallway?”
The man’s dark eyes focused on me and I stared right back at him without blinking. Then, he ran at me. I couldn’t stop from smiling as I noticed how pathetic he looked with his face scrunched up. He pushed off with the toes of his right shoe and lunged towards me. All I had to do was hold my hand up at the right moment and I caught him by the throat. His eyes went wide as he fought to break free from my grip, but I wasn’t giving in. I squeezed tighter and he fought against me harder, but it felt like a toddler trying to get away.
“Do you understand the terms of our agreement now, gentlemen?” Director Croft asked the stunned men standing in the hallway. I glanced around my current victim and made sure that Dougie was gone before I returned my attention to the man hanging from my grasp. “I think you need to give them a more final demonstration of what they’re up against, Evan. They don’t seem to get it yet.”
“Gladly,” I said with a deep growl. I grinned smugly at the tattooed man before I reached up and punched the man in the gut with my left fist. Then, I let him drop to the ground before I stepped on both of his legs to keep him on his knees. His screams of pain were like music to my ears as I thought about all of the bad things he had done to other people in his life. Tears were streaming down his face as I broke both of his arms with a flick of my wrist. I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and turned him so the other convicts could see his face. Then, I stuck both of my hands in his mouth and held his mouth open. I took a quick glance at the other men. “You may want to look away if you’re squeamish. This is going to get messy.”
The convict screamed out with a nightmare inducing sound as I began to pull apart his jaw slowly enough so he would have time to suffer before I ripped him completely apart. The crack of his jaw was louder than I expected, and his screams took on an even higher pitch as the skin across his cheeks began to split open. I grew tired of the game and took another look at the other men before I ripped the top half of the man’s head away from his body. A fountain of blood erupted from the man’s neck as I tossed the remains of his head towards the other convicts. Two of them fainted and another began to vomit profusely against the wall. The rest of the men ran as fast as they could.
“I would have even thrown up if I could still do such things,” Marcel commented with a chuckle. “Well done, Evan. I think you got their attention.”
I turned around and gave Director Croft a smug grin before I began my night of hunting. I breathed in deep through my mouth and nose and my senses seemed to come alive. I growled as the monster inside of me seemed elated with the idea of going on a mass murdering spree. My throat burned as I tasted the musty air and I shot forward without even thinking about it. I found the last man to leave standing with his back towards me as he ran for the open door ahead of him. I laughed madly as he yelped in pain when I broke his arms. Then, I sank my teeth into his tender neck and drained him dry. My throat was still on fire when I dropped his lifeless body to the ground.
I wanted more…
I ran to the open door and stepped out into a football field size area that was enclosed with a one-hundred-foot-high electrified fence. Trees filled the area along with different shrubs and bushes. Croft had turned it all into one giant game. The prisoners were hiding amongst the trees, and I was going to kill as many of them as I could before I went to get Dougie out of his hiding spot to my right. He was near the west fence, hidden in a thick bush. None of the other inmates had followed him, and I was certain he would be safe for the time being. I wanted Dougie to live for some reason. I needed him to live.
I took a deep sniff of the cool night air and listened to the hurried heartbeats of the terrified men. There was a sudden flash of white light from somewhere in front of me, and a man screamed in agonizing pain. Someone had tried to escape through the fence. I could hear the hum of the electricity plainly and I had thought it would have even been noticeable to human ears. Maybe, I was that terrifying? Did I go overboard when I ripped the man’s head apart with my bare hands?
Maybe, just a little bit, I thought with a grim chuckle before I went to murder a few more men.
I broke one man’s neck before I grabbed another man and broke his back. The next convict that came at me I punched hard enough in the chest to stop his heart almost instantly. Then, five men jumped out of the bushes and circled me. They each had large sticks and were holding them as if they planned to attack me. I couldn’t help but giggle at their courage.
“What’s so funny, pipsqueak?” A burly man with red hair demanded with a growl. His green eyes were filled with rage. “You may have got the drop on those other guys, but we’re going to finish this once and for all.”
“Are you, now?” I asked curiously. “I think I’ll save you for last.”
The red-haired man lunged at me and I pushed him back easily before I spun around and kicked one of the men in the head. I heard his neck snap before I grabbed the man to his left and broke his arm. He screamed in pain as he let go of the stick he had been holding and fell to his knees. I twisted his broken arm behind him before I pushed my foot against his back and ripped his arm off. One of the other men ran off into the woods while a black-haired man tried to attack me from behind. I quickly punched him in his throat before I snapped his neck.
“What the fuck are you?” The red-haired man asked when I turned back to face him. He didn’t even notice me move as I ran around and slipped up behind him.
“The Angel of Death,” I replied as I slipped my arms around him and sank my teeth into his throat. He tried to fight against me, but I was too strong for him to beat. All he could do was suffer, just like the four women that he had raped before he slit their throats. I took pleasure in draining him dry and growled with an inhuman delight when his heart stopped beating.
Now, to find Dougie and claim him.
I headed down towards the western end of the field in a flash and stopped short of the spot where my future family member was hiding. His heart was beating erratically as he hid in the bush, and it sounded like he was praying to himself. I walked towards the bush and Dougie bolted towards the fence.
“Stop!” I called as I took off after him.
Dougie lunged towards the fence and I lunged after him. I managed to wrap my arms around him and sank my teeth into his chest just as his hand grabbed the fence. I tried to force as much venom as I could into the wound before the electric shock hit me. Dougie screamed as the jolt rippled through his human frame. I heard his heart skip a beat as the shock hit it, but my venom had reached his heart in time to keep it going after the initial shock. The venom only intensified the current as it passed into my body through my fangs. My body stiffened as I instinctively let go of my victim and I fell back, stunned from the shock.