Zone Zero: Redemption (Book 2 of 3)

Chapter 30

I am clutching the granite kitchen bench and every scream that fills the air forces me to grip tighter and tighter.

Etu and Alex returned from their separate missions soon after Amelia and i spoke and set to work on resetting her bones. I tried to help them but each snap of bone sent Amelia into a high pitched wail that chilled me to my core. I couldnt continue to watch so i made my way in here where i have stood, gripping the bench top with ultimate force, as Amelia's screams move throughout the air.

Finally after 20 agonizing minutes, the screaming stops and footsteps coming my way can be heard.

"Are you ok?" Alex asks as he appears next to me with a reassuring hand resting gently on my lower back.

"How's Amelia?" I purposely skip his question and interject my own.

"She's resting now. Etu took her into one of the bedrooms. She will be fine in a few days or so."

His strong hands are rubbing soft circles on my back and i feel myself soften from the touch.

"So what now?" I ask.

"How about we rest for a while and figure it out tomorrow? I think we both deserve some time to just sleep."

I nod eagerly at his suggestion but then a familar amber liquid catches my eye. Suddenly an idea reveals itself and i am no longer tired.

"Or we could continue on where we left off the last time we were here." I add nodding toward the bottle.

Alex's lips turn upwards at the corners before he plants a soft kiss against my lips.

Sounds good.

.....

Half a bottle of whiskey and two glasses of wine later and i am practically seeing stars. The room hasnt stopped spinning but somehow i dont feel like vomiting. Maybe im getting used to binge drinking.

Alex has been telling me stories of his past lives and what the world was once like and i don't even try to hide my astonishment.

He has seen so much and lived in so many different countries but somehow he always found his way back to Russia. He said that it always felt like home to him.

I'm not surprised when he tells me that he hasn't been back to Ireland since he lost his family and saved Keavy from death and at the mention of her name the mood begins to dim.

We were laughing and joking all of 15 minutes ago but now the air feels somber and my mind begins to take me to different places.

Alex feels my shift in thought and lets out a soft sigh at the realization of what is to come. He knows i have questions and i know that he is ready to give me the answers.

"What was it like in Zone Zero?"

Even as a child i remember hearing that Zone Zero was for vampires only and that it was for the best. I didnt understand back then why they had to be segregated but since leaving zone two i am starting to realize that all was not as it seemed all those years ago.

"It was alright at first. We thought we could run the place and it would be our own country but the truth came out pretty quick. The UN never wanted it to be a vampire country but instead a way of monitoring and eliminating us."

I let a gasp escape my lips just as Alex hangs his head to stare at the floor.

"They rationed our blood and soon began to start cutting our rations until we were only feed once a week. It was enough to live but no one had any strength to fight back which is what they wanted. Soon they began taking away the weakest vampires saying that they were going to be properly taken care of in a differnt facility but none of them ever came back. Rumours began flooding around that they were used as experiments or that they were flat out killed which caused a stir amongst us all. Vampires were talking about taking a stand and began voicing their opinions only to be slaughtered on the spot."