Blood to Blood

Blood to Blood

            My brother’s last words were “Goodbye, Lily”. That’s what echoed in my ear the second he jumped. I could hardly scream as he plummeted from the five-story building to the ground below. My baby brother. I sprinted to where his broken body lay beside the abandoned warehouse and didn’t hesitate to do what needed to be done. 

It was a nasty business, the transformation, but I wasn’t going to lose my younger brother when there was another alternative. Even when the alternative was less than ideal. 

            Once it was done, I wiped the blood from my lips and looked at my brother with a grin. 

            “Welcome back, Sam,” I said and was greeted by his fanged smile. 

+++

            “I can’t believe you did that,” my brother scolded, shaking his head. 

            “I can’t believe you jumped,” I countered. “What were you thinking?” He sighed, looking down to the ground without meeting my gaze. 

After his leap, I’d taken him back home, an apartment at the edge of the city, not too far from the warehouse. Granted, it was a bit difficult since I had to drape a hoodie over his head and keep him from biting every living creature we passed. However, it was already getting dark so not much light filtered through. 

            “I was thinking that you would be too scared to do it, to turn me,” he answered after a few minutes, his voice low. I felt anger rise in my chest. He thought I wouldn’t save him given the chance?

            “Well, I did, Sam. Now, you’re like me. So what? Does it really matter? Do you still want to die? Because that can still be arranged.” I bit my lip at the words, somehow how missing the absence of blood when my teeth pierced my skin. He was completely wrong. He was the only family I had left, and if he thought I was going to let him die, he was sorely mistaken. 

            “No, I don’t, Lily. I really don’t.” I found him looking into my black eyes. 

            “That’s a lie, Sam, and we both know it.” He turned away, and I was half tempted to jerk his eyes back to mine. He’d been pulling away for months, and I hadn’t been able to help him as much as I tried. But, I helped him now, and neither of us could turn back. 

            “So, what if I do,” he hissed, and my heart broke. “Does it matter anymore?” I was about to reply, but that’s when I heard their footsteps in the hallway. I stiffened instinctively at the smell wafting through the door. 

            “We have to leave,” I declared, already making heading to the fire escape. I was fully prepared to open the window and jump the two stories with my brother by my side. 

            “What’s wrong,” Sam questioned, and I cursed at the knock at the door. 

            “Hunters. We have to move.” He just shook his head and gestured to the door. 

“They haven’t knocked it down.”

“So?”

“So, maybe we should hear them out.” I laughed in his face.

“Are you insane? Hunters shoot first and ask questions later. Believe me, I’ve heard the stories, Sam. We won’t be alive long enough to hear them out,” I exclaimed. “We need to move.” 

“We just want to talk,” one of the hunters called. A woman, I realized. My brother gestured to the door as if to prove a point. I growled but relented. In an instant, I was standing in front of the door. 

“Leave your weapons at the door,” I snarled before I let them in properly. One of the men started to protest, but the woman stopped him. I nearly smiled at the sight of a woman leader who seemed to command the other hunters with such ease. She had fiery red hair and pale skin, making her look like a banshee. Her companions looked like twins, both with dark brown hair and tanned skin. Just like how I’d pictured hunters looked like. 

And smelled like. I nearly gagged at the overwhelming stench of steel and sweat that filled the room. I caught the scent of silver in the mix and tensed. Of course, they’d have silver. They were meeting vampires, after all, so they’d need something to kill us with. I nearly snarled at the thought. I’d rip their throat out before they even tried.

“Before you do anything, I just want to say that neither of us hurt anyone. All the blood we have comes from a butcher down the street,” Sam said hurriedly. I sighed. He’d never seen hunters before. At least, he’d never been their prey before. 

“We mean you no harm. We just want to talk,” the woman explained with a smile. “I’m Atlanta, and this is Odin and Judas.” I just nodded, noticing the scar running down Odin’s face. Occupational hazard, I supposed. All the hunters I’d seen in my five years of being the hunted had some sort of scar, physical or emotional. 

“What do you want,” I demanded. Sam cast me a look, but I didn’t care. These are dangerous hunters who would kill us both in a heartbeat, and I wasn’t going to let them do that. Not after I’d just brought him back. 

“You’re the older one, aren’t you,” Atlanta inquired with a wider smile. I suddenly had the urge to knock it clean off her face, but I resisted. I’d at least hear them out at Sam’s request. It couldn’t hurt now that their weapons were by the door. They could try to grab them, but Sam and I would be much faster. 

“Just tell us what you want, so we can both be on our way.”  

            She nodded, and so did her two companions. Except, one of the twins, Odin, growled. “We need your help.” 

            I scoffed. “You want our help?”

            “Yes, indeed we do.” I didn’t like the sound of that, but I gestured for her to continue. 

            “There have been a few recent kidnappings, and we suspect a vampire clan on the other side of town,” she explained, her voice as soft as velvet. “We want you to talk to them.” I laughed which earned me looks from both Sam and the hunters. 

            “What makes you think we can talk to them,” Sam asked. “Lil-We don’t really communicate with the other clans.” 

            “You’re all vampires, right? You can at least ask them a few questions,” she continued. 

            “What makes you think we will talk to them,” I countered. 

            “Because we’ll kill you if you don’t,” one of the twins growled. Odin. Atlanta just shot him a look. 

            “Look, we really mean you no harm,” Atlanta announced. “We just want to investigate, and we can’t get anywhere near the clan. We were just hoping that you could. If not, then that’s okay. We’ll leave you two in peace.” The other twin scoffed, and Sam tensed beside me. 

He was newly turned and itching for fresh blood. I’d given him some of my own stashes, though it wasn’t anywhere near fresh. I’d gotten it from the butchers about a week ago, but it was all I had. If not for those hunters, I would have been scouring the streets for unfortunate rats and taking their blood. It would satisfy both our needs.

            “If we do it,” I began, “do you promise to leave us alone and spread the word to the others of your kind? We are to be left alone.” 

            “You’re out of your mind if you think—” Odin started.

            “You’ve got yourself a deal,” Atlanta interrupted, and I noticed that the other twin hadn’t said a word since he walked in. The leader followed my gaze. 

            “Judas is deaf,” she explained, her hazel eyes glistening. 

            “Right, of course,” I answered, and she handed me a slip of paper. 

            “Here’s the address. We’ll be back in two days’ time to collect whatever information you have.” I nodded as they left and exhaled, finding the air clear of their stench. I despised helping the hunters, but if it came down to refusing them or living in freedom, I’d choose freedom every time. 

            “Are we going now,” my younger brother questioned as I grabbed a hat, a scarf, and gloves for protection. 

            “The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we’ll be free from all the hunters,” I declared, “so yeah. We’re going this now.” 

            “I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t even have gloves.” Right, I thought, biting my lip. He was new at this; how could I forget?

            “Stay here. I’ll go out and get you some.” It was nearly dark, but there were a few stores still open. Stores specifically run by my kind, especially at this hour. Walmart was one of the few. 

            “Come in,” one of the greeters called, and I smiled gratefully. Supposedly, one of the reasons Walmart greeters even existed was to welcome other vampires into the building, but no one knew for sure. I was just glad they were there. 

            I grabbed a few pairs of gloves and a couple of scarves. Sam already had a couple of baseball caps, so with a long-sleeve tee, he’d be all set. 

            I sighed, though, as I wandered through the aisles, remembering when I had been turned. Before Mom and Dad had died in a car crash a few years. Before my brother and I had been left to fend for ourselves. 

            I’d been sick with cancer for some time, and my family knew I was going to die. I remembered seeing it written all over their faces. I knew that my time was running short. I’d just known from the pitying looks that all the doctors gave me. 

That’s when a nurse had walked into my room with a proposition. I had been 13 at the time and Sam had been 12, yet both of us were quite accustomed to nurses, doctors, and hospitals. Though, this woman was different. On her badge, I noticed a unique symbol. A cross, but it looked like it had paint streaming from it. 

            “I can save your daughter,” the nurse had whispered. Mom and Dad jumped out of their seats, and I sat straighter in the bed, feeling Sam’s hand on mine. I almost couldn’t believe her. 

            “We’ll do anything,” Mom had pleaded. “Just tell us.” So, the woman explained. I couldn’t really remember what she said because I was too busy running wild with all the possibilities. Me, a vampire? I imagined running at the speed of light, jumping higher than I ever had before, putting the school bully in their place. I agreed almost immediately. Mom and Dad had seemed skeptical, but Sam was on my side. He was as unwilling to lose me as I was to leave him. 

            Two days after the nurse walked into my hospital room, I walked out, cured. Of course, it was the middle of the night, but it was totally worth it. I’d felt better than I had since I got the diagnosis. I raced around the parking lot, laughing, while Sam stood and cheered. We had been happy. We had been free. 

            I shook my head, bringing myself back to reality. Back to the reality where my parents were dead, Sam was a vampire, and both of us would be hunted for the rest of our lives if we didn’t go through with this job. If we didn’t betray our own kind. Then again, if they’d really kidnapped and hurt those people, I had no qualms about turning against them. 

            Finally, I walked through my apartment door and threw the gloves to my brother. He dutifully put them on, and we headed toward the address the hunters had given us. It was late, so the two of us just ran as fast as we could. Which, of course, was really fast. 

            “That,” Sam exclaimed when we arrived, “was amazing.” I smiled.

            “Better get used to it. You’ll be running like that for the rest of your life,” I answered and turned toward the building. Every shred of hope evaporated like a puddle on a hot day. 

            “Lily, what’s wrong,” Sam questioned as I stared, but I couldn’t respond. All I could see was the symbol painted on the building door. That symbol, I thought. I know that symbol. 

            “We’re making a big mistake,” I muttered and sprinted toward the building with my brother at my heels. 

            “What’s wrong? Is something wrong?”

            “We need to get inside.” Without any hesitation, I yanked open the door and hurried inside, though, behind me, my brother continued to protest. 

            “Who are you,” a voice questioned from the shadows, and I whirled in their direction.

            “My name is Lily Alexanders,” I declared to whoever was listening. 

            “What are you doing,” Sam hissed. “I thought they kidnapped people.” I just shook my head, recalling the picture on the door. A cross with the paint allowing to drip down so it looked like the cross itself was bleeding. The bloody cross. 

            “Hunters believe you have kidnapped innocent people,” I continued, “but I know that they’re wrong. They know that you’re here.” A figure jumped from the shadows and held a silver knife to my throat that dug into my skin. I saw Sam tense, but I shook my head. 

            “Did you lead them here,” he growled. He was tall with blonde hair with the strange stunning beauty that some vampires had. 

            “They knew before. You need to get out,” I rasped. 

            “Please she’s telling the truth,” Sam pleaded, his eyes wide. My heart ached for him. 

            “Let the girl go,” another voice said, and dozens of vampires emerged from the shadows. Dozens. I almost couldn’t believe it; I’d never seen so many. All vampires of all sorts of ages, sizes, and races. It took my breath away. 

Well, technically, I wasn’t really breathing but yeah. 

            “You all need to get out of here,” I ordered, but even as I did, the door burst open, and hunters streamed in. Sam didn’t even think; he just ran, grabbing me as I did. Screams and gunshots echoed through the building. I didn’t turn back, but I could picture the vampires’ bodies falling to the ground, truly dead. We just kept running to the other end of the building. 

            “Lily,” Sam cried, though if not for my supernatural abilities, I wouldn’t have heard him. Still, I didn’t stop until we were as far from the hunters as possible. There were a few vampires streaming out one of the back doors, but my brother and I hung back. Though, I was itching to tackle the hunters head-on for killing all these innocent 

            “What are we doing, Sam,” I questioned. “Why aren’t we leaving?” He just turned to me. 

            “If we run now, we’ll be running for the rest of our lives. You said it yourself. If we stay, those hunters can ensure our safety for the rest of our immortal lives,” he explained. My hands were shaking as I stood against the wall. I knew he was right, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to 

            At last, the shots died done. Every vampire who there had either died or fled. Though I realized with great relief, the number of bodies on the ground seemed a great deal less than the number of people I’d seen leave. Sam counted to five before stepping out of the shadows. It occurred to me that he was trying to protect me. I could hardly believe it. My little brother protecting me? Oh, how the tables had turned. 

            “Come on,” Sam coaxed and walked toward the hunters who stood surrounded by bodies. In the midst of the shadows with their silver bullets and guns, the three of them looked like gods. Deadly, terrible gods. 

            “Do you know what you’ve done,” I cried, and this time, Sam was the one who shot me a look. I didn’t care. “They didn’t hurt anybody.” 

            “They’re vampires,” Odin responded, “and so are you.” He held a gun up but didn’t shoot. 

            “Those vampires help people. All those people who went missing? They were so close to death that the Bloody Cross turns them into bloodsuckers for their own good. The Bloody Cross saved their lives,” I snarled, tears streaming down my face. They’d saved my life and in turn, Sam’s. I owed them my life, and these hunters had destroyed them. “You killed them.” Without another word, Odin’s twin, Judas, pulled his own gun and shot my brother straight in the heart. My scream echoed through the now-empty building. Odin just smiled. 

            “Atlanta promised not to hurt you,” he crooned. “I made no such promise.” I looked at the leader, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes. She knew from the very beginning how this was going to go down. She knew, and she made me an empty promise. She had lied to my face. I wanted to throttle her that very instant, but that certainly wouldn’t help my case.

            “Why would you do that,” I cried as whatever was left of my soul started to break. My very heart, that had stopped beating, long ago cracked. 

            “Because he was a vampire,” Odin replied and held up his own gun. I shuddered but held my head high. 

            “And so are you,” he finished and fired a silver bullet at my chest. I could have dodged, but I couldn’t stop seeing my brother’s body fall once again. I’d failed him. I should have gotten us both out the second shots started firing, but I didn’t. I’d lost him all over again, but this time, I couldn’t do anything to save him. The best I could do was join him beyond the grave. 

            As I fell to the cold hard ground, I muttered two words that I knew would be my last. 

            Hello, Sam.