Ch 4

Blade opens his eyes, seeing an unfamiliar blue ceiling. Sitting up, he notices he’s on a large bed, a pink comforter underneath him. Blade's eyes spot Zadie kneeling by the bedside with her head resting on the edge, fast asleep. Glancing down at his blood-stained bare chest, seeing the wounds entirely gone.

Around the room, many stuffed animals lay about a few sitting on the white dresser, some in a hammock hanging in front of the window as sunlight shines in, lighting up the room. There are even some stuffed animals on the bed. Thus, giving it the feel of a child’s room rather than a teenager.

A new set of clothes lies at the foot of the bed, a small piece of paper atop it.

Here are some fresh clothes for you, since Angie ruined yours. I’m sorry about her and hope you’re feeling better. You can freshen up in the bathroom; that’s the door straight ahead.

—Zadie

Blade finds the blue door across the room, silently getting off the bed, not wanting to wake the sleeping vampire. He grabs the clothes heading to the bathroom, taking a quick shower.

Blade inspects himself in the mirror. The clean shirt is a little too tight for his liking and definitely not his color. It’s a deep sky blue instead of his regular black shade. The dark gray pants fit him fine. Blade looks at his round face; black stubbles are growing from not shaving for a few days. Once he’s back home, that’s the first thing he’s doing. He makes a mental note. Blades’ damp black hair hangs in his face, shaking his head slightly, now able to see through his bangs better.

The events of last night flash through his mind, “I can’t believe I drank a vampire’s blood.” Thinking about it now makes him feel sick. He can never tell anyone about that, though he doesn’t understand how it healed him. Not wanting to think about it any longer, he walks out of the bathroom.

Zadie is now awake dressed for the day, in a red shirt with a giant blue cupcake,

with a short white and blue polka-dotted ruffle skirt with black leggings underneath.

Zadie brushed her hair, braiding it into a thick braid that rests on her shoulder. She even had time to get some breakfast for the two of them. Just as she comes back, Blade walks out of the bathroom; she offers him a warm smile, relieved he’s looking better.

“I got us some muffins if you're hungry.” Zadie holds out a chocolate chip muffin to him.

Blade looks at the muffin then notices the bandage on her wrist where she had him drink from, “Not hungry.” Blade exits the room going downstairs.

Zadie sets the muffin back on the tray she had brought up for them, feeling rejected yet again. She pushes the feeling down, determined to make friends with this Vampire Slayer. Zadie races down the stairs after Blade, who is sitting in the red recliner.

“Are you feeling okay?” She asks him, putting her hands behind her back.

Blade faces her with a cold stare. “I’m not going to thank you if that’s what you're waiting for.” He spits, wishing he could go back in time.

Zadie eyes her white socks, “I wasn’t expecting that at all. After all, I’m sure you’re grossed out from having to drink my blood.”

They are both silent for what feels like forever, to Zadie. Then, finally, Blade looks at her with a softer expression opening his mouth to say something. Zadie's head pops up. She looks around paranoid all of a sudden. Again, Zadie feels something is off, causing the hair on her arms to stand up.

“Something’s wrong.” She says to Blade with a worried glance.

The front door slams off its hinges, falling to the floor with a crash; a second later, people rush in holding guns, a couple of them even have reddish-orange colored stakes. They instantaneously surround Zadie.

Blade stands up with a smile on his face. “Took you guys long enough.”

A woman around the same age as Blade steps forward. “Had to get our warlock to take the wards down first, babe.”

Her dirty blonde hair is in a ponytail, with her dark blue eyes resting on Blade longingly.

“The other vamps are on the second-floor door to the left.” Blade reports. A few soldiers head up.

Zadie uses her vampire speed, racing up the stairs, passing them with ease stopping in front of Crees and Angie’s bedroom.

“Cree! Angie! Wake up, More Vampire Slayers are here!” Zadie yells to them with her mind, they immediately wake up. Zadie must buy them some time to figure out an escape plan seeing how it’s mid-morning. One step outside, they’d be toast, quite literally.

“Step aside.” One of the soldiers yells, pointing the gun at her.

Zadie holds her hands up, showing she’s unarmed, not a threat. “Please don’t do this; we’ve done nothing wrong.” She pleads with them as tears try to escape her eyes.

The soldiers look at one another, unsure of what to do about this girl. “Hurry, I don't know how much longer I can hold them off,” Zadie warns them, terrified.

“Is she a human? What’s going on?” One soldier asks another.

“Maybe she’s been brainwashed by the vamps.” Another suggests.

“Don't let her looks fool you. She’s a blood-thirsty vampire.” Blade calls up to them from the bottom of the stairs.

Zadie looks down at him, hurt in her eyes. A soldier instantly grabs her holding her arms. She doesn't fight, knowing it’s no use. The bedroom door swings open, someone races by too fast to see who, two Vampire slayer race after. Cree walks out of the room with a black blanket draped over himself to protect him from the sun. A pair of soldiers grab him.

“Please don’t hurt him,” Zadie begs them. But, instead, the soldier grips her tighter.

“It’s okay. I’m alright.” Cree assures her from under the blanket.

The Slayers lead them both down the stairs.

“Hold up.” The dirty blonde-haired girl orders them, they stop.

She takes her jacket off, putting it over Zadie's head. Zadie jerks away, not even glancing at Blade, who’s watching. “Don’t bother; I don’t need it.”

She shrugs, putting it back on, “Fine, burn for all I care.”

The soldier pushes them forward, stepping on the fallen door as they make their way outside. The air is chilly, but the sunlight feels warm against Zadies’ skin. The fresh air smells lovely. She takes several deep breaths enjoying it while it lasts.

Soon enough, Cree and Zadie are stuck inside the back of what looks to be a military-like vehicle that is windowless in the back. Slayers all around them mumble to one another, wondering how a vampire can walk in the sun.

Cuffs that are an odd orangish-red color are placed on each of Crees and Zadie's wrists, they don’t bother Zadie, but they seem to sting Cree a bit. A couple minutes later, the large vehicle begins moving.

“I’m so sorry Cree, I don’t know how they found out where he was, I promise. I know I messed up badly.” Zadie apologizes to him with her mind.

“It’s fine, Zadie; it was bound to happen. Now we must focus on ourselves. Whatever you do, do not mention you are half Human.” Cree advises her with a severe expression on his face.

Zadie gazes at him from across her, nodding. She once again messed up; she had already told Blade about it. He was sure to say something to the others.

“Sleepytime.” A soldier says, then injects a syringe into Zadie then Crees, necks causing them both to pass out moments later.

When Zadie wakes up next, she’s in a small white room. She finds herself strapped down to a bed. Unable to move her arms and legs, Zadie's heart speeds up as dread sinks in.

“Hello?” She calls out, unsure if she’s alone.

She lifts her head, finding the room completely empty. “Can anyone hear me?” She yells again.

Zadie reaches out with her mind trying to speak to Cree, but some kind of force seems to be blocking her. Then, a few seconds later, the door opens. A man wearing a white lab coat comes in, pushing a small cart in front of him.

“How are you feeling?” The blonde man asks as he slides blue latex gloves over his hands.

“I’d be feeling a lot better if I knew what’s going on.” She admits as she tries to calm her nerves.

“We’re going to draw some blood from you then do some tests; of course, if you tell us what you are, we won’t have to do any of this.” The man stops what he’s doing, waiting for her response.

“I’m a vampire.” So she tells him, knowing no matter what she says, they’ll still do tests.

The man shakes his head in disappointment, grabbing the needle and an empty vile. Zadie mentally prepares herself for what’s to come.

•••

Blade stares at the large Slayer Organization building. It’s white with many windows all around. Blade hadn’t been here since he was rescued, which was a little over two days ago. The head of the organization told him to take a couple days to relax from the whole ordeal, so that’s what he did. Now he’s ready to get back to work more than ever, needing to make amends for the rookie mistake he made.

Blades walks inside, going past the receptionist to the elevator. When the doors open, Blade’s friend stands in front of him.

“Hey, Hydie.” Blade greets as he walks inside the elevator.

“How were your days off?” She asks him with a kind smile.

“Good, but boring.” He admits returning her smile.

“That’s good to hear. Where are you headed?” Her finger lingers above the floor numbers.

“Was just going to look at the jobs available.” He tells her.

“Well, before you do that, I want to show you something incredible my father and I have found.”As a result, Hydie pushes the level zero button to the lab.

“Oh, what’s so amazing?” Blade responds, not really interested.

“That strange girl with the lavender eyes, you know the one that can walk in the sun?” Hydie reminds him.

“Yeah?” Blade watches as the number sets on zero the elevator comes to a stop.

“Well, she is unlike any normal vampire we have ever seen. She can eat human food. She’s also faster than any other vampire. Her blood has many unique properties so if ingested, it can heal a person.” The door opens, they walk out.

“You're kidding me, right?” Blade says, trying to play it off as if he didn’t know.

“Nope. I’m sure there are other things she can do and just isn’t telling us. We have been running tests trying to find out more with no results yet.” Blade looks at her wide-eyed.

“What do you mean tests?”

She chuckles, “It’s nothing to worry about, baby. If she’s vampire-like, she claims, who knows how many people she has hurt. Everything we do, she deserves .”

Hydie calls him baby, even though they aren’t actually in a relationship. She’s confused about her feelings towards him, although Blades just is not interested in her like that. So yeah, they have kissed a couple times and messed around, but that’s as far as Blade will go with her.

Hydie leads the way. Blade sees the other vampire, the one he tried to take down; he's inside a see-through container wearing gray sweats with a plain gray shirt. He’s pacing back and forth in his small quarters. Looking up, he spots Blade then starts pounding on the wall yelling something at Blade but the walls are soundproof like all the other ones leaving Blade with no idea what he’s saying. He’s hurting himself more than anything. The walls have been made out of the purest sunstone, burning his hands with every hit.

“What are you guys doing with him?” Blade curiously asks as they walk past him.

“Oh, nothing, anyone. We tried getting some information out of the vamp but refused no matter what we did. That’s why we’re going to try something new today.” Hydie says with excitement.

Not too far from the Vampire is another small room. Hydie stops in front of it. “This is our newest invention down here. This one wall can become see-through to us but remains the same on the inside.” She hits a button on the wall to reveal the inside of the room.

Zadie sits in complete darkness, on a bed in the fetal position with her forehead laying on her arms.

“She doesn't seem to like the dark.” Hydie states from her observations, Blade continues to stare at the girl. She now has on gray sweatpants and a plain gray shirt. Her long hair is clocked around her, no longer braided back.

Hydie retrieves a tablet from a co-worker. As Hydie messes with the tablet, the light comes on in the room resulting in Zadie lifting her head and squinting from the sudden brightness. Dark circles sit under her eyes. Her skin seems paler than usual.

“What’s with the bandages on her arms?” Blade questions.

Zadie moves to the edge of the bed, looking around the room.

“Oh, we just cut her arms a little. She doesn’t seem to heal quickly like regular vampires.” Hydie says without looking up from the tablet.

Blade shifts his weight, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. “Have you given her any blood?”

Hydie looks up at Blade as a strand of blonde hair falls out of her ponytail. “Why? She can eat human food; she shouldn’t need any.”

The look on Hydies face says she doesn’t understand the question. “I mean, she is still a vampire after all.” Blade crosses his arms, trying to get his point across.

“Is she really, though? For all, we know she could be lying to us.” Then, a random guy in a lab coat walks up to Hydie.

“All the preparations are ready.”

Hydie smiles,” Perfect, go get her then.” The man walks over to the door, unlocking it with a passcode.

Another man in a white coat walks into the room. Zadie stands up, already knowing more tests are to be done. He grabs her by the arm; she doesn't struggle. She has gotten weak from hunger, causing her to feel like she’s in a daze that she can’t get out of. They continue to bring her regular food, she eats it, but it doesn’t help with what she needs right now. She needs blood. No one believes her when she tells them she’s a vampire meaning no blood comes. At this rate, she isn’t sure how long she could last without blood.

Zadie is brought to a chair where she’s forced to sit, binding her hands and ankles to it. A strange banging noise fills her ears. She gazes up to see Cree. A smile spreads across her face, happy to see he's unharmed. She's been worried, not knowing whether they killed him or did something else with him. Whenever she asked about him, no one would give her a straight answer.

Cree watches Zadie with worried eyes, she's paler than average, moving around as if every movement is a struggle. She needs blood. Cree knows this because he has been in charge of getting it for her for many years now.

“Why haven’t you guys given her any blood! She’s a vampire. She can’t survive without any!” Cree screams, yet it changes nothing.

This strange container seems to be soundproof. Trying to get Blades’s attention, at least, for he is her last hope for survival, Cree continues to bang on the wall, not caring how badly it hurts him.

Hydie sticks a couple of suctions to Zadie temples. “This is new. What are they going to do to me now?” Zadie thinks, seeing a strange machine with a dial. Whatever it is, it doesn’t look good. Hydie turns the device on, a light buzzing noise hums through the air. Blade looks away from Cree, not understanding what he’s attempting to tell him.

“What exactly are you doing?”

Hydie smiles wickedly, “Going to see if causing this one pain will make the other one talk. Put it at six.”

The machine power is turned to six. Blade doesn’t have a good feeling about this. It seems wrong in so many ways. Before he can say another word Hydie pushes another button sending electric shocks to Zadie's brain.

Zadie screams; it’s so loud and piercing it makes everyone in the room cover their own ears.

People fall to the ground, holding their ears as her scream goes on. Then, triggering one of the walls on the box Cree is held in to crack.

“Turn it off!” Blade yells as he holds his own ears.

No one either hears him or is in too much pain to do so. Blade quickly moves around Hydie, turning the machine off. Zadie’s screaming instantly stops. Blade approaches the chair taking the suctions off Zadie’s head. Her chin rests on her chest with her eyes closed. Blade shakes the girl lightly.

“Are you alright?” He says softly to her with no response in return. “Someone get me some blood now!” He yells, then shakes her again.

“What are you doing?” Hydie demands having recovered finally.

“This girl needs blood, immediately!” Zadie’s eyes flutter open. She sees Blade's face, managing to smile weakly.

“Are you okay?” Blade releases the bonds on her hands.

“Hungry,” Zadie responds as she lifts her head, it feels too heavy for her to hold up, so it bobs around like a bobblehead.

“You can’t do that, Blade!” Hydie is beside him now with an angry expression on her face.

Blade sees no one has bothered to do what he told them to do. “Did you forget I am the head of the Organization’s son? Now, someone get me some blood!”

A couple of people run off to do as instructed. Blade turns to Hydie with a not-so-kind look on his face. “This girl is half-vampire and half-human. Hydie, she needs blood, or she will die.”

Hydie's expression turns to shock.

“How do you know this?” She asks him.

A girl comes over to Blade handing him two blood bags. Blade takes them, extending one to Zadie. Her vampire fangs pop out of her mouth, she bites into the bag. Hydie stares at her wide-eyed.

“See, I told you she needed blood. I know because she told me.” Blade looks at Cree, who is now sitting down, giving Blade a nod in thanks.

Blade nods back then turns back at Zadie.

Zadie throws the empty bag to the floor, snatching the other bag from Blade, biting into it, drinking deeply. It may be cold and have a small plastic taste to it, but she’s too hungry at this moment to care.

“Thank you,” Zadie tells Blade once the bag is empty.

She feels better now that she has gotten some blood in her system. Zadie takes the bandages off her arms, knowing the cuts and needle pokes will be all healed up now.

“How interesting,” Hydie examines her fully healed arms.

Hydie writes some notes down on the tablet in her hand. “Now, I don’t want anyone doing any more tests on this girl.” Blade orders as he looks around the room.

“That’s not entirely up to you now, is it?” The head of the research department says as he walks away from the elevator he had just come from.

“Sorry, father he wouldn’t listen to me,” Hydie explains to him as she glances at the floor in shame.

“Mr. Johnson, how nice of you to join us.” Blade smirks.

Blade has only ever seen this man in this lab a total of twelve times in two years.

“I am head of this department, and if I leave my daughter in charge while I am away, then she becomes head of this department in my absence.” Mr. Johnson responds coldly.