Chapter 20

Mark road with the delivery driver for hours. He was so worn out that he fell asleep for most of the ride and had no idea where they ended up. It was funny to him how he could be a super strong, half-angel, but he still got tired like a normal person. Soon after Mark woke up, the driver pulled into a small town a ways off the main highway. They had traveled along deserted dirt roads to reach it. From the looks of it, the town could have only had about three hundred people in it. There was one general store, one gas station, and soon the driver pulled up to the one auditorium.

"We're here," the driver said monotonously. Apparently he had made this run several times. "Just go inside the doors, someone will greet you."

Mark thanked the driver, got out of the truck and walked inside the doors. Once inside, he saw eleven other people he assumed were also new Asuune judging by their delivery uniforms and the dumbfounded look on their faces. There were men and women of all different races, and some of them were speaking different languages. Most of the people were standing in pairs, some in threes and Mark was all alone.

A dark-skinned woman with straight, black hair and glasses came walking through the back door of the auditorium. She looked important. She carried a clipboard and behind her was a giant of a man who seemed to be her guard. The man behind her wore grey sweat pants and a dull tan shirt. His hair was cut very short, and he had a serious expression on his face. The man was much larger than Mark. He assumed the man to be somewhere around six foot six and probably over three hundred pounds. He was large and ominous as he followed the woman.

"My name is Sophia, but you can call me Agnus. This man behind me is Charles," Agnus said motioning behind her with her free hand.

"You are not to call me Chuck or Charlie. You will address me as Charles or sir," Charles said in a very deep voice appropriate for his size. He was forceful, but it seemed more like it was an act. He looked kind before he spoke and the kindness returned afterward. This man's serious expression didn't fool Mark. His body language gave him away. Charles was a kind man, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"We're here to give you an introduction to your new life. This life will not be easy. In fact, you will be staying in cots here for your first year," Agnus explained. Someone in the front raised their hand. "There will be time for questions when I'm done, I will speak to each of you individually to determine how you can help us and how we can best help you." Agnus took a step forward, but Charles didn't move, he just stood behind her looking menacing. Mark noticed the kindness was replaced with a stern look, but still Mark wasn't fooled.

"Truth time," Agnus started. "You may not want to hear it, but you need to. The reason for the cots in an auditorium is because seven of you will not make it one year. You will either die or be turned into a vampire. This is not to scare you, it is just the truth. I hope we don't lose any of you, but facts are facts." Agnus pushed her glasses up her nose then continued. "Out of the five that remain, two of those won't make it through the next year. Look to your right, then your left. Get to know these people. They are your new best friends. The best way to survive is to have someone watching your back. There are no heroes, no chosen ones. I know you've all met Sarah, some of you even think you know her. Some of you might even have a crush on her. That is her talent. She can make anyone feel like the most important person in the world. My sister was supposed to be here to introduce you and make this smoother, but apparently something came up."

Mark's stomach sank, was that all it was? Was Sarah giving him a line? For nearly twenty years? Mark thought of all the times Sarah flirted with him, waking up with her on his chest in the hotel room, the hugs goodbye. Was it all a lie? Was he just another new Asuune, one that would probably die in the first two years? Mark started to feel depressed, then Agnus started talking loudly again.

"Now, with that out of the way, let me explain what we expect. We expect you to help out, pay attention, and learn how not to die. Most of you, with your new found strength, will help with menial chores such as building houses. The houses are for the few of you that make it through the year. We need experienced plumbers, electricians, things like this. I will determine your job when we speak." With that, Agnus motioned to Charles and he stepped forward.

"My job is to prepare you for the inevitable. I'm not here for combat training. I'm here to teach you how to defend yourself. I'm sure Sarah has explained to you that we cannot kill them. This is what makes it so difficult. I'll be honest with you, we're losing this war. That is another reason that you will only be training with me once a week. It is much more important for us to survive, and for that we need knowledge. We will provide college-level courses in history, many technical vocations, and most other things that help us figure out how to win this war. I was in the military, obviously, but I was a construction architect. So I will mostly be teaching you about structural engineering. Pretty much anything else will fall to Agnus or one of her assistants." Charles gave a strange smile for a man so large. He must really like structural engineering, Mark assumed.

Agnus stepped closer to the recruits and took over again.

"Before we start the interviews, I will let you know one thing. I'm not hard to get along with, but I do have one rule. I hate swearing, and while I can tolerate a slip up now and then, if I ever hear you use the Lord's name in vain, I will rip your tongue out to teach you a lesson. As most of you know, it will grow back, but it will be one of the most painful experiences you have ever had." Agnus stared around the room, and she noticed a few of the younger recruits snickering. These were fairly large men, if you could call a twenty-year-old a man. Irritation radiated from Agnus and she gripped the clipboard angrily.

Charles could sense Agnus's annoyance even from behind and was quick to come to her defense. The giant man took a few steps toward them, and the men quickly quit snickering.

"For your information, and continued good health, I suggest you respect your elders around here. Agnus may not look like a hardened warrior, but she was fighting off vampires before your parents, parents were born. I, for one, would not want to make her mad. She could take me down in a heartbeat." Charles then turned around and walked back to his spot.

On the way by, Agnus placed her small hand on his giant arm and said kindly. "I appreciate the support, dear, but I can handle them."

Charles was quick to answer and in a loud voice replied. "Oh I'm sure you can handle them. I was just worried they might not take you seriously. We don't want half this year's recruits in the hospital on the first day. I mean, not again." Charles smiled with his face away from the recruits. Mark was standing off to himself so he could see it was just a tactic to keep them in line. That wasn't to say that Mark didn't take Agnus seriously. If Agnus was anything like Sarah, she could probably put them all in the hospital if she chose to. Agnus bowed her head and pretended to look at her clipboard, but it was clear she was smiling.

"Now we will start the interviews, assign bunks and jobs. Don't worry, I am fluent in many languages in case English is not your first language." Agnus then headed over to a small desk with two chairs on one side and one on the other. Somehow Mark hadn't noticed these when he first walked in. The other new recruits all began to mill around and form a line, Mark took up the rear.