The Making of Vampires Ch. 07

He wanted her prepared for the fight and explained, "Okay, Honey. When we shoot, it will be loud and there will be a bit of kick. We're going to use controlled bursts to spray bullets at the enemy. We'll use a sweeping motion to hit as many as possible. We won't really have to aim because this weapon will do all the work on its own. We just help it out a bit."

She nodded. "I'm so tired."

He replied, "I know, Baby, but you can't rest until we find friendlies. You need to find friendlies so you can be safe. Okay?" If she gave in to her fatigue, he would lose control and be unable to save her. He had to give her a reason to stay alert.

She nodded.

He saw shadowed movements and replied, "Baby, this is going to be loud." The men were not in uniforms, they wore beige colored keffiyehs, the traditional desert headdress, and beige colored dishdashas, the traditional robes. Martin understood the color choices. Bright or dark colors stood out in the desert helping one to be spotted if lost or injured. Sand colored clothing helped one to blend with the desert aiding in stealth and attack, good during the day and even better at night. They carried weapons. They were the enemy, her enemies.

They followed her tracks. They laughed and picked up sand. Martin wondered if a blood trail on the sand gave her injured state away. If so, she had left a clear path even without the indentations of footprints on the sand. One of the men pulled out a long knife pointing in her direction. They may not know her exact location, but they knew of the general area. The other two men lifted their weapons and aimed.

Martin shot first, a burst sweeping across the enemies' position. Two of them dropped quickly and Martin was sure they were dead or at least, no longer a threat to her. The third man dove into a depression in the sand and fired back. Martin forced the woman's body to roll onto her back, lying flat, to avoid the bullets. He would wait for the shooting to slow before firing back.

A flair lit the sky turning night into day. Martin listened and heard English spoken, American English. Then more rapid gunfire. The sounds of so many weapons erupted that Martin could not determine the number of soldiers firing.

He relaxed and said, "It's okay, Baby. Friendlies are here."

Then something jerked her body and a blurry face appeared. "I found her!"

Her eyes closed, she lost consciousness, and Martin's presence flew rapidly from her body. He slammed back into his own body and almost fell from his chair and had to grab the table to steady himself. He looked down at his abdomen where there remained blood. He stood and opened his trousers. His skin knitted together and the jagged edges of the wounds closed without a scar.

Suwon said, "Are you okay?" Martin nodded and she continued. "What the hell was that?"

Martin shrugged. "It appears that I have a wife in a war zone. Hopefully, she makes it back alive." He had to think of a plan to rid himself of his groupie. He had a wife to consider, now. "I need to discourage Emma...or she can become a feeder." She was no longer needed and he had a new goal, obtaining his wife.

Feeders were people kept for their blood in the vampires' hidden underground chambers. The chambers, magically protected to prevent discovery from humans or other vampires, linked the houses of the three Morsus brothers. Vampires gathered and lived in the chambers. Some had homes above in the city, but many lived in the magically protected chambers. Feeders stayed in deep pits with little accommodations, except plumbing and a cot, until they died. The vampires fed and watered the feeders, much like livestock. Feeders never saw freedom again, a common punishment for humans deemed unsafe for society or too bothersome to the vampires.

The vampires removed feeders from society in a manner that promoted the belief that the person had died preventing anyone from searching for the lost humans. Death occurred when someone lost too much blood or when a vampire lost control.

***

~Two months later~

Tony Tinkerton sat on one of the wooden benches curling weights to work the muscles of his upper arms. The intensity of his work out told everyone in the weight room that he was working out more than his body. Something was bothering him.

Martin studied the younger Tinkerton, but said nothing. He trusted his observations more than a person's words. Tony was not mad, but he was upset. August decided to engage Tony verbally.

August walked over and asked, "Okay, what is bothering you?"

Tony shrugged. "What makes you think that something is bothering me?"

August replied, "Because you haven't said anything to any of us and you are working out hard enough to break your bones. What gives?"

Tony stopped curling and placed the dumbbells on the floor. "Stephy came home last night, a week earlier than expected."

August asked, "Is that a problem?"

Tony's shoulders dropped. "No. But she was different. She was secretive and expertly avoided many of our questions. She used the phrase, 'proprietary information' a lot, but something was just off. She wasn't her bubbly, energetic self and she acted uncomfortable."

Bobby, like everyone in the weight room, listened to the conversation. He asked from the bench press, "Could it be your other two sisters? They seem to bother everyone." Many in the weight room chuckled and even Tony smiled.

It was no secret that no one tolerated Carol and Jennifer Tinkerton very well. They, like Tony, were from the captain's first marriage. The two older Tinkerton women acted nothing like the Tinkerton men and many in the precinct avoided the women as much as possible.

Tony smiled and said, "I wish that was it, but Stephy was just different. Dad didn't seem to notice, but he has been missing Stephy since she went to college and he's thrilled to have her home. I'm just worried about her."

Stephany had been a very bright child. Her teachers had allowed her to work independently in school because she grew bored waiting for the other kids in her class to learn the days lessons. She excelled at her studies. She graduated high school and began her undergraduate studies when she was thirteen. Her grandparents, the McDougal's, sold their farm and moved in with her at college because she was so young.

She finished her undergraduate program and started her doctorate program in chemical engineering when she was sixteen. Her grandparents passed away that same year and her father agreed to allow her to be an emancipated minor in order to complete her doctorate program without adult supervision. Immediately after earning her Ph. D., she went to Europe to work at a special laboratory. That was her cover story.

Instead, she traveled with a covert team that knew her real mission. She was one of four scientists assigned to the program to search out biological and chemical agents. Now, she was back and using those agents to create vaccinations and weapons.

Tony was proud of his sister and often bragged of Stephany's accomplishments showing any who would look at the photos on his camera of her latest graded paper along with the comments. Tony bragged more than her father did and everyone he knew was familiar with her academic career.

Tony had been excited to have his sister coming home; she rarely could due to research opportunities during the university breaks. He and his father visited her when their schedules allowed, but she hadn't been home since she was sixteen.

August patted Tony's shoulder and smiled at Bobby. "Hey, Bobby has something that can help determine if you should be worried about her. Bobby, I think we found a training exercise for that new program of yours."

August, Martin, Tony, and Bobby left the weight room and moved into the smaller computer room. Tony had grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his face and arms as Bobby opened his laptop.

Bobby said, "I need her mobile number. Then we can see where she is and we can hear what's going on."

Tony pulled out his phone and asked, "So is there a way to prevent this program from working on my phone? Not sure if I want you guys listening in on my life."

Bobby smiled. "Sure, if it's off. Otherwise, if you have GPS on your phone and it's on, I can spy on you anywhere."

Tony showed Bobby Stephany's contact information. Bobby typed in her number and then typed the instruction codes for "Find" and "Listen". A map of the city appeared on the monitor with a red dot. Then the image zoomed in to reveal a three-block radius with the red dot appearing in a rectangular box. "Winston Arms" appeared beside the rectangular box with an address.

The vampires in the room stiffened. Stephany lived at home with her family. If she was at a hotel, they suspected she was there for a tryst. Tony leaned closer to the monitor, shook his head, and dropped his shoulders.

August said, "Maybe this isn't a good idea. We're invading her privacy. I'd hate to get into trouble over this."

Of what Tony had shared about his youngest sister through the years, a romantic rendezvous in a hotel room wasn't what the vampire had expected. He had expected a serious woman, too engrossed in science, who didn't have time for men in her life. August was sure that Tony wasn't ready to accept that the youngest Tinkerton had a love life.

Tony said, "No, it's a good idea. I need to understand. She isn't the object of a criminal investigation. As for privacy, screw it." Then he looked at Bobby and asked, "When do we hear her?"

Bobby glanced at August for a moment. Their eyes met and August gave a subtle nod. Bobby moved the mouse pointer over the red dot and clicked on it. The computer speakers emitted voices, a man and a woman.

Bobby asked, "Is that her voice?"

Tony nodded. "Yay, it is, but I have no idea who the guy is. Let me listen."

Bobby glanced at August and again got the subtle nod, so he backed up and transferred to the chair beside his. Tony sat down in the vacated chair, placed both hands on the table as if holding himself up, and listened.

Martin pulled a legal pad off the shelf behind him and picked up a ballpoint pen. He passed both to Tony. Tony took the offered items and prepared to take notes.

A soft, gentle female voice, Stephany, said, "Henry, I may have made a mistake coming home."

A male voice, presumably Henry's answered, "But Love, you have only been home a day. Is it your sisters? I can eliminate your problems. We just make sure you have an alibi and they're no longer your problem. A simple solution."

Tony and the others in the room were suddenly very interested. The three vampires each grabbed a legal pad and a pen. All wrote furiously as they feared they were hearing a murder plot.

Stephany giggled. "Thanks, but I wouldn't do that to you. If I am going to rid myself of garbage, I can take the trash to the curb myself."

The male voice replied, "Except you can't shoot a gun."

Stephany said, "No, but I know what chemicals I need to dissolve human flesh and human bone, including teeth. I wouldn't really be concerned if they were dead already or not."

The male chuckled. "Sweetheart, you're sadistic. So, I should never get you angry with me."

Stephany said, "I could never get angry with you." Then there was a pregnant pause.

The male voice said, "Steph, there are things you don't know about me."

Stephany answered, "Okay. I'm sure there are things you don't know about me, but you're still my friend. You are one of the few people that I trust. I can't even say that about my family."

Tony cursed and wrote faster.

The male voice said, "But Steph, I have done some really, really bad things."

Stephany answered, "Henry, I'm telling you that what you have done in your past doesn't matter to me."

The male sighed loudly. "Steph, you don't really understand me. Let's talk about the war, the big one."

Bobby looked at the monitor and his jaw tightened. Everyone in the room heard the crack as the pen in Bobby's hand broke. August passed a new one to Bobby.

Stephany said, "I know."

The male voice said, "No, you don't."

Stephany answered, "Gerhardt, I know."

Tony asked, "What the hell? My sister is in a hotel room with two guys?"

Bobby glanced quickly at Martin who barely lifted an eyebrow. The vampires had an understanding that Tony didn't. They understood that many creatures lived long lives or immortal lives and the man called Henry could have been in the big war as Bobby had been.

The male voice cracked as it asked, "Where did you hear that name?"

Stephany said, "I didn't hear it. It was after our first time together, on the island off Panama. You asked me to check your pocket watch for the time. I went into the house and opened your watch to see the inscription in another language. I don't know the language, but I recognized the names of Anna and Hilda. Then I turned the watch over and saw the name 'Gerhardt Von Handorf' on the back. It was a German name and I assumed the inscription to be in German as well."

The man cleared his throat and stammered before he continued. "I can explain that."

Stephany said, "You don't have to. I thought that a friend of yours owned the watch. So when we got back, I looked him up so I could tell you what had happened to your friend or give you news about Anna and Hilda."

The man asked, "What did you find?"

Stephany answered in a softer voice as if trying not to hurt the man, "I found a photo of you. The information with the photo said that you were wanted for possible war crimes." There was a creak of a bed. Stephany continued, "Come here, Henry. You brought this up, so tell me what happened."

Bobby wrote faster nearly copying every word. He remembered the war as if it was yesterday. He remembered the crimes committed by the enemy. He would have no problem killing the enemy all these decades later.

The male voice wavered as he said, "You saw my uniform. Did you understand the insignias and medals?"

Stephany answered, "Not all the medals, but if you are asking if I knew you were a German soldier, then yes. I did."

Tony said, "My sister is into really old guys. That is disgusting. Shouldn't he be dead by now? I can't imagine someone from World War II in a hotel room with my sister."

Bobby's jaw tightened harder. He wrote faster. Sometimes, he ripped the paper with the pressure he placed on the pen. He fought with the anger that still haunted him all these years later.

The male voice continued, "I grew up in a wealthy, privileged home. My family wasn't tolerant of the poor or of different types of people."

Stephany asked to clarify, "You mean other races?"

The male voice answered, "Yes." Then there was a long and quiet pause. "I believed the propaganda. It wasn't far from what my family believed as I grew up." Another pause. "I didn't supervise a work camp."

Stephany asked, "What's a work camp?"

The man answered, "A euphemism for a death camp. I didn't work at one, but I sent plenty of people to them. Most of history focuses on the Jewish people killed in the camps, but there were so many more humans killed there as well, anyone considered undesirable."

Bobby's pen broke again. Martin passed him a new one this time.

The man said, "I was at the front. I wanted to fight, to protect my country. When we moved from place to place, we sent any who didn't fit our idea of a superior race to the camps."

There was quiet for a longer time until Stephany said, "Henry, come here. Let me hold you and you can tell me more." The bed creaked again. The man must have sat down.

The male voice said, "We were in the mountains. We found a small settlement of... My men and I rounded them up, but one woman broke away and ran. We laughed. She wasn't a very fast runner and her efforts were pointless. I told my men to take the people back and I would fetch the woman and punish her for my inconvenience."

Bobby broke another pen and Tony passed his to his friend and asked, "What is with you?" Bobby only shrugged. Tony stood and picked up the box of pens placing them on the table in front of Bobby.

The male voice said, "I toyed with her laughing the whole time. I would run just fast enough to give her hope of escape. I even allowed her to run into the pine forest. I had great fun herding her back and forth. I saw a cliff, an opportunity to rid myself of her, and I herded her toward it."

Bobby's pen broke and he picked up a new one from the box. Martin pushed the waste can closer to Bobby to make broken pen disposal easier.

The man said, "I slipped and fell onto a small outcropping nearly ten feet down. I almost fell to my death. My leg was injured, not broken, but badly sprained. I sat a very long time wondering what to do. I thought I would freeze to death. To my relief, I saw the snow above me move and I knew my men had found me." More silence.

Stephany asked, "Do you need a break?"

The man continued, "The woman's face appeared over the side dashing my hopes. She looked down at me for only a moment and then disappeared. The wind picked up and it began to snow. I was almost blown off the ledge and I thought it preferable than to freeze slowly to death. I looked at my pocket watch wondering how long I could survive. It had been a gift from my two daughters. Anna was twelve years old. Hilda was fifteen."

Stephany said, "But you didn't die or you wouldn't be here now."

The man said, "No, I didn't die. A rope dropped down to me and I looked up to see the woman again. She said something about the rope being tied to a tree, but she didn't think she was strong enough to pull me up. I was strong and I climbed up by myself. I didn't expect her to be there when I got to the top, but she was waiting for me. When I asked her why she didn't escape, she explained a blizzard was coming and I didn't know the area as she did. She even had a couple of blankets for us."

Stephany said, "Henry, I understand bad things happen. If you think I won't be your friend after this story, you are wrong. You aren't that person any longer. This is to help you, not for me to pass judgment on you."

The man said, "You haven't heard everything. She helped me back to the deserted village. I could barely walk and I would have died without her help. She took me to her family's home. There were beautiful photos on the wall of her and her siblings. She was the oldest. Her name was Liora. It means 'I have light' and she did. I asked her why she was being so kind to me. She told me that I needed it...I grew angry..."

Henry, Gerhardt Von Handorf, continued to talk, but he was back in that home, in that village. He grew angry with the young woman with such inner strength. Her kindness and her beauty had affected him in ways that he didn't want to admit. His body noticed her. His body responded to her gentle touch as she wrapped his sprained knee and brought him food.

After her proclamation that he needed kindness, his anger erupted. She didn't see him as a man. She didn't see him as a threat; he would make her see him that way.

Gerhardt grabbed the young woman and pushed her onto the couch. He forced her down ignoring her pleas to stop. He grabbed her hair with one hand, forcing her to kiss him, and used his other to hold her hands above her head. She tried to fight, but he was much stronger.

He forced his good knee between her legs. Then he let go of her hair and used that hand to rip off her panties and pry her legs apart. She cried and begged him to stop, but he refused to listen to her.

Stephany said, "Henry, you're not there. Henry! Look at me. I'm here with you. You're even sweating. Are you okay?" The man coughed. "Here, drink this."

The man said, "After that, I wanted to kill myself. I even picked up my gun and lifted it to my head, but she grabbed my hand. She pushed the gun down and wrapped her arms around me. I cried. I raped her, took her virginity, and she comforted me."