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WHEN I FINALLY MANAGED to fall asleep, it was shallow and dreamless. Moans, grunts and sounds of passion woke me shortly after dark. When the noise continued to echo through the upper floor for over an hour, I realized this could go on for some time. Lying on the mattress and staring up at the cracked ceiling, I felt a stir of emotion after all. I was pretty sure it was boredom.
Leaving my room, I slipped downstairs without being noticed and snuck outside. The brief sight of naked, entwined bodies did nothing for me. I decided to vacate the area before I was invited to join them.
My hair streamed out behind me as I sprinted through the swamp. I moved at a far greater speed than I’d ever been capable of before. I hadn’t even been this fast in my werewolf form.
I didn’t realize I had a destination in mind until I closed in on the PIA compound. I’d left my watch in the SUV along with the rest of my gear, but I could tell that it had only taken me a few minutes to reach the base.
Looking up at the thirty foot high electrified fence, I wondered why I’d come here. It was dangerous to be anywhere near the PIA compounds. Mark would know by now that I was missing. He was smart enough to figure out that I’d gone after Katrina alone. The team might already be on their way here to save me. They didn’t know that it was far too late for that now. As the oracle in Texas had prophesized, I was doomed.
Smelling the swampy odor coming from my clothes, I wrinkled my nose. My ability to feel might have been taken away from me, but my sense of smell hadn’t. While the other vampires were content to wear the same clothes until they rotted and fell off, I wasn’t about to live in the same conditions. I’d left a backpack with several changes of clothing in the SUV. All I had to do was break into the base and I could retrieve it.
My mother had managed to infiltrate the compound once, so I knew there had to be a way in. I followed the fence line, searching for something that could offer me assistance. Finally, I found a small hill that might be close enough to the fence to allow me to jump over it.
Still new to my half-undead form, I wasn’t sure what my limitations were yet. The sun apparently couldn’t kill me, but a large dose of electricity might. I climbed to the top of the hill and an image rose of the dream I’d had of the strange shrouded woman. She’d told me that she had a task for me and that the choices I’d make would affect the lives of everyone I loved. It seemed that confronting my mother had been the right choice. Along with having no emotions, I also no longer felt the need to raise zombies.
Judging the distance from the hilltop to the fence, I was fairly confident that I’d be able to make it. Even if I was zapped to death, it wouldn’t really matter. I could already see that this existence would eventually drive me as insane as Katrina apparently was.
Returning to the bottom of the hill, I took the gun from the back of my jeans and held onto it so I wouldn’t drop it. The Berretta had always been my favorite handgun and it might still be useful.
Sprinting to the top of the hill, I launched myself into the air. Time seemed to slow down as I soared high over the fence. For a short time, it almost seemed as if I was flying. Then I landed lightly on my feet well past the deadly barrier.
Shaking my head at how easily I’d cleared the fence, I ran to the gate. I found the remote control device and slipped it into my pocket. It only took a few seconds to close the mile-long distance to the building. The garage door swung upwards when I pushed the button. I retrieved my backpack and watch from the SUV, then hesitated. I’d only been with the nest for one night and day and I was already filthy. There was no running water at their lair and no way for me to clean myself.
The temptation to have a shower and wash my hair was too strong for me to resist. The scanner on the wall flashed green as my prints were read and the door unlocked. Mark always had to scan our prints into the system when we visited a new base. It seemed they remained on file afterwards.
Turning left, I entered the main area and headed upstairs. Taking the spiral staircase up to the second floor, I froze when a phone rang. It was coming from the communications equipment to the right. I knew who it had to be. Mark must have been notified as soon as I opened the door to the compound.
Crossing the floor, I picked up the phone. It was a landline rather than a cell phone and there was no video option.
“Lexi? Is that you?” Mark asked. While I could hear the panic in his voice, it didn’t move me at all. I could hear Kala and Flynn breathing in the background.
“It’s me,” I replied. Even I could hear how dead my voice sounded.
Kala’s breath caught. “Something’s wrong with her. She doesn’t sound like herself at all.”
“Have you seen Katrina?” Mark asked.
“Yes. I tried to kill her last night, but I failed. I’m hers now.”
It came out more starkly than I’d intended and Flynn made a sound of protest. “You can’t be a vampire already. It takes three nights for the transformation to occur.”
“Not for me. It happened shortly after I drank her blood.” They remained silent while they tried to come to terms with what I’d become. “I’m not the same person you used to know.”
“What are you now, Lexi?” Mark asked cautiously.
“I don’t know. I’m not really alive, but I’m not completely dead either. I’m something new.”
“Have you killed a human yet?”
“No, but I’m sure I will when I get hungry enough.”
“If you do, we’ll have no choice but to hunt you down and end you,” he said. I heard the pain in his voice at being faced with that prospect.
“I know.” I also knew he would ignore my warning, but I gave it to him anyway. “Be careful if you come here. Katrina will know as soon as you enter New Orleans and she’ll eradicate you all.”
“We’re not just going to give up on you, Lexi,” Kala said.
“You can’t save me,” I told her tonelessly. “I’m already lost.”
I hung up and took the phone off the hook so they couldn’t call again. From the lack of background noise, they were still at the compound in Texas. Hopefully, they’d be smart enough to heed my warning. I might not be able to care about them anymore, but I didn’t particularly want Katrina and her cronies to kill them.
Entering the hallway that led to the bedrooms, I headed for my room out of habit. I took a long, hot shower and scrubbed away the accumulation of grime. It was eerie standing in front of the mirror when I dried myself off. Physically, I hadn’t changed at all after becoming half-undead. The only difference I could see was my far weaker reflection and emotionless face.
After blow drying my hair, I changed into fresh jeans, a plain white tank top and donned my holster. I slipped the Beretta into place, then pulled on my battered black leather jacket.
Retreating to the ground floor, I paid a short visit to the armory. Stuffing spare ammo into my backpack, my hand encountered my ereader. I hesitated, then decided to leave it there before slinging the backpack over my shoulder.
I stopped in the kitchen on my way out. Faint hunger pangs were starting up in my stomach. Now would be a good time to see just how much I’d transformed. Searching the cupboards, I found a sealed packet of cookies and opened them. The smell of chocolate chip wafted out and it didn’t make me feel ill as I’d expected. Taking a tentative bite, I chewed, swallowed and waited for my body to reject it. When it didn’t, I ate a few more cookies and stashed the rest in my backpack. My ability to eat solid food was just one more difference between myself and my new kin.
I took my time returning to the swamp. This time, I stayed on solid ground so I wouldn’t get dirty again. Katrina knew I was different from her and her servants, but she had no idea how unusual I was. If she knew that sunlight couldn’t hurt me and that I could eat regular food, she might take her minion’s advice and kill me after all. It seemed prudent to keep this information to myself.
Without the overwhelming pain of losing Reece constantly assailing me, I no longer had a desire to end my existence.
