The Last Corvus (completed)

Ch. 2 Isadora

Chapter 2

Isadora

The taxi drops us off and he pays the driver. As we're walking to the gate I realize it's starting to get dark; the zoo will be closing soon.

He leads me into the reptile house. "This is where we'll go in once the zoo closes," he says, points to the small plaque to our left that says SPITTING VIPER ENCLOSURE. He has to be kidding me! Then again, where better to hide a copse of vampires than under something with fangs?

Once back outside we study the map and I ask him what we're going to do until it closes.

"Let's go to the giraffes." He leans past me and points to the giraffes on the map. On our way to the giraffe enclosure, I'm surprised by how normal vampires can be. He seems like such a normal guy, walking along beside me as we guess about what's going to be in the new exhibit and even coo over the baby lions.

Every time anyone passes us he averts his eyes and I remember that his eyes are red. He probably doesn't want to scare anyone. Lucky for him there aren't that many people here.

After downing a bottle of water, I think of something. "So, my oh-so-mysterious protector, since it appears we're not getting away from each other quickly, tell me about yourself. What's your name, favorite color, where are you from? And if you don't want to be a vampire so badly, then why didn't you just eat me like the other vampire tried to? Surely that would cure you."

He ponders for a moment and then replies, "well, where to start? My name is Linden St. Morrisette. My favorite color is dark blue. I was born in Nice, France but moved here after I was turned... about 76 years ago. For your last question, I want to help others like me get back to their old lives. Other than that, I plead the fifth. So, what about you, my oh-so-mysterious protectee?"

I've always been kind of timid to talk about myself. I don't have many friends and what friends I do have don't ask about my life's story. The only person that ever knew anything is Robert; and he's practically my brother. Well... Linden did save my life and he seems... Well, I wouldn't say harmless, but he seems nice enough and I did ask him first.

"My name is Isadora Catherine Corvus, but you probably already knew that. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but moved here when my parents died and I had to live with my aunt. A few years ago she let me get emancipated so I wouldn't have to go into foster care. She died a few weeks later of cancer...... On a brighter note, my favorite color is burgundy because it has all of my favorite colors; red, purple, black, and brown. And you can't plead the fifth; we aren't in a court of law." I'm about to tell him about my job at Bob's Deli when an announcement crackles over the loudspeaker that the park's closing.

"Quick, we need to be in the building before they lock the doors." Linden is about to pull me along when he realizes I'm right behind him.

We make it in the door just as we hear a metallic click and we're locked inside.

He leads me to a supply closet down a narrow corridor to our left, opening the door with an electric key card from his pocket. Where did he get that?

I hear footsteps and he motions for me to get in. The footsteps grow louder and I panic, pulling him in next to me. He closes the door behind him just as someone rounds the corner and I sigh in relief.

Even though it's almost pitch black I can still see him smirking and I, almost begrudgingly, let go of his shirt. Being in such an enclosed space with a vampire gives me goose bumps. Honestly, maybe him being a vampire isn't the only reason.

He's looking at something over my shoulder that I would be interested in seeing, if I wasn't so bizarrely fascinated by his chin and the almost imperceptible stubble protruding from it. I wonder what it would feel like, running my fingertips along his jaw. What about through his hair; his long, perfectly messy curls?

What is wrong with me? Why does my train of thought always seem to crash when I'm around him?

Finally, after a few minutes, he deems the coast clear and I'm practically blinded by the dim hall lights when he opens the door.

We make our way back to the viper enclosure and he steps up to what looks like a piece of dried pink gum stuck next to the glass. After whispering something at the gum, he steps back just as the wall moves, followed by a rush of frigid air.

Following Linden in, the wall closes automatically behind me. It's even darker in here, I can barely make out the wall right in front of me. He grabs my hand and leads me down what feels like a maze and in try to focus on my footing and not the feel of my hand in his slightly cooler one.

He says it's to disorient intruders, and I can see what he means: a few wrong turns and you could end up with a concussion. After many turns and thankfully few wall collisions on my part, we stop at a dimly lit dead end.

Linden walks to the right corner and puts his eye in front of the only light in the hall, a small red piece of glowing glass. He cringes as a small laser scans his eye.

Retinal scanners; this place must be more high-tech than I thought. The wall slides aside and once again I'm temporarily blinded by the artificial white light. All this light-dark-light-dark cannot be good for your eyes.

As we walk down the now white hallway, I'm assailed by the strong stench of antiseptic. We enter a large room full of cubicles, each empty besides a computer. Walking through the large room, we walk a little ways down a hallway and then into a smaller room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

There is a short, slightly overweight balding man sitting in the chair behind the desk with his back to us. Linden clears his throat, "Dr. Jones, I brought her," he says the last part meaningfully. Her. When I try to meet his eye he turns away.

Dr. Jones turns in his seat, looks at me, and exclaims in delight. Putting down his book, he moves around the desk and I realize he's in a wheelchair. Wheeling himself over to me, he grabs my hand, kissing it tenderly. His glasses slip down his nose slightly.

"You must be Isadora Corvus. What a pleasure it is to finally meet you. I trust your trip was uneventful," he looks over to Linden, who shrugs. "Well, we only need to run a few tests and then you can be on your way. If you would just follow me, please."

He leads us down yet another corridor and into a small exam room. He gestures for me to sit on the table but I don't move. "What kind of tests?" I ask, suspiciously eyeing the equipment.

"We just need a few samples of your blood. Don't worry, I'm not hungry," Dr. Jones tries to give me an encouraging smile but it doesn't help.

I can't believe I already forgot I'm dealing with vampire! How can they expect me to trust them? They can't really think I would really give blood to a bunch of VAMPIRES? Looking over at Linden, I see understanding in his eyes, as if he gets why I'm still frozen to the spot. He gives me an encouraging smile and this time it sinks through. Arguably against my better judgement I trust Linden to save me if need be from the other man. After all, the wheelchair could just be a ruse to lull me into a false sense of security before he jumps up and rips my throat out.

"What kind of doctor are you, Dr. Jones?" Half a step at a time I'm slowly, reluctantly making my way towards them.

"I specialize in genetic engineering and mutation. Granted, I am quite a lot older than I seem." He steals a quick look at Linden, "then again, all of us at the Complex are." Out of the corner of my eye I think I see Linden almost smile.

How old is he really? To the unknowing person he only looks eighteen or so. But I guess the real question would be: how long has he been eighteen? He mentioned a year earlier, but I can't remember now.

Let's just get this over with. Sitting down on the table I try, and fail, to breathe calmly. With a nod from Dr. Jones, Linden rolls over the cart of tools. "This should only hurt for a few seconds. Just try to relax," Dr. Jones says as he looks for a vein in my arm. Using an alcohol wipe, he sterilizes just below my elbow and then inserts the needle.

As always there's the accompanying sting that quickly subsides into dull pain. I watch as my blood flows up the tube and into the supplied bag. It just keeps filling with blood. My blood. So... Much... Blood.