Vampire Emeritus (Part #3) ✔

Chapter 18: Newborns

Between all confusing emotions, one was clear and stronger than all the others combined. A wave of relief flooded me, engulfed me in its lulling caress. It felt like waking up from a nightmare and realising it was only a nightmare.

I sat on the floor, my legs and my hands trembling.

"What?" Thomas entered the room and looked in the drawer. "How...? Oh, fuck."

"She stole the vials." I let out a shaky breath. "I saw it this morning, but I assumed you forgot to fill them."

"Well, why didn't you ask me?" Thomas took them out of the drawer one by one.

"I didn't really have time." I grunted. "How did she even enter the lab?"

Thomas pinched the bridge of his nose and sat next to me on the floor, "I took hers and Caiden's fingerprints. I thought... I thought if something happened to us they should have access to weapons."

"Shit." My head bumped against the mattress. "Why would she do this?"

"Are you sure she's not dead?" Thomas's glance jumped between me and Ian.

"She doesn't smell dead." Ian leaned against the dresser. "We can smell death, it's self-preservation. And it's been a couple of hours, the smell should have been unbearable."

"Jesus." Thomas stared at the vials. "Are you sure she did this to herself?"

"There's, like, ten vials." I mumbled. "I think she might have been drinking vampire blood ever since she arrived here."

Ian looked at me, "Someone has to tell William."

"Someone has to carry her here." I added. "She's going to freak out if she wakes up in the lab."

"Speaking of, when is she going to wake up?" Thomas glanced at Ian.

"Probably soon." Ian pushed himself off the dresser. "I'm going to get her."

"I should go tell William." I sighed.

"You should go get some sleep." Ian said. "This night was... eventful."

"Like hell I'm going to sleep." I pushed myself off the floor. "I'm going to wait here until she wakes up and then I'm going to kick her ass."

"At least she'll know what's happening to her." Thomas said.

For a moment, all three of us kept quiet. The feeling was funny and slightly unfair, but I sensed the smidge of anger churning in us. None of us had the luxury of knowing what was happening to us when we first turned into vampires.

The moment passed and Ian held the door open for me. We descended to the living room. William was awake. His shouting reached from the basement. He threw himself against the steel walls in the cell we built in the basement.

"What's going on?" Caiden stood up from the couch.

I rubbed my forehead, "Long story short, Sheila's not dead. She's transitioning into a vampire."

Whatever Caiden's reaction to that was, I didn't have time to see it. William punched the walls in the basement, his horrific roars pierced my skull. How would he react? What would he do?

Ian proceeded to the lab to grab Sheila while I entered the armoury and stopped by the cell.

"William?"

"Let me out!" He threw himself against the door, forming a dent in the steel.

I flinched, "William, listen to me."

"No!" He shouted. "Let me out now! You've poisoned me with the dead blood, but it will not stop me! I am going after them! I am going to rip their throats out and feed on their families-"