“Isn’t it obvious?” I asked in disbelief, my eyes trailing the splotches of itchy red skin leading to my hands gripping the steering wheel. I knew he was smarter than this. “Control. He orchestrated all of this.”
“Controlling each side with fear.” Jude squinted, and his pupils shot back and forth. “And keeping this war between humans and vampires alive.”
I nodded as the light in the sky started to wane. Even though I trusted Jude, I still cringe thinking about the look ofsuspicion and pity he gave me when we realized my dad did all these terrible things. I mean, he’s the reason the entire human species is living like rats. The weight of my father’s actions and the realization of how blindly I’d idolized him filled my body with shame. The feeling was both physically and emotionally draining, like a weighted blanket pressing down on me. How could I be so stupid? The golden glow slowly began to fade as the conversation progressed. “The Dogs were originally used to monitor citizens within the United States for the government and are essentially still used for the same purpose today. It’s disgusting.”
“At least he designed them not to hurt you. Every time they got near you, their eyes would blink white and retreat to the next person.” Jude sat forward in the seat. “What d’you think your dad’s using the intel for?”
“Whatever it is, there are only two things he cares about: wealth and power.” I shook my head, thinking about the betrayal. “Oh, there’s one more thing he cares about—manipulation.”
“And how did he use you? Weren’t you his precious son?” Jude’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he drawled out the final two words.
“I always thought so, yeah.” My voice shook with each syllable. “I always knew he was using me, but now that I know what he’s done and how everything was meticulously planned, the betrayal feels like a knife in my back.” I couldn’t bring myself to look at Jude, so I kept my eyes on the cracked and broken road. “Back in Elysium, he locked me away. I wasn’t allowed to leave my room. He kept me from everyone he could. To use me. To control me. The only time I was allowed out was for the Extraction.”
“What’s that?”
“They drain me until I’m a raisin, then lock me back up until the next year.” I heard Jude gasp next to me. “The vampires need my blood to survive, and my father found a way to replicate it, but the shelf life only lasts a year. That’s why I’m so valuable. Not because I’m his son. Because the vampire race depends on me.”
Jude’s eyes, intense and unwavering, didn’t leave my face as he shifted closer. “Vinny, you can’t tell anyone this information. If Arthur knew the only thing standing between him and the downfall of the vampires was you…he’d…he’d…”
“Kill me? Yeah, like that hasn’t run through my mind since I got kidnapped.”
“Arthur thought you were the key to turn off the Dogs, so he must’ve known your father was involved with them, but he definitely doesn’t knowthisbit of detail. Let’s keep it that way. I can’t lose you. I won’t.”
We crested a hill, and I breathed a sigh of relief as the box-like building called Silvertown Mall came into view. The silence in the car was thick with unspoken words, and I needed some time alone to escape the awkward tension. As much as I appreciated Jude’s support and care, it’s not what I wanted right now. I need to be alone and wrap my head around all of this.
As we neared the mall, I got the sense that something wasn’t right. The light around Silvertown had a strange shift, as if something had happened recently and the effects were still lingering.
“Holy shit,” Jude yelled, jumping toward the dash. His face was inches away from the windshield, and his finger pointed toward the eastern wing of the defunct shopping center. “Our medical sector!”
A gasp caught in my throat as I struggled to contain a scream. I pressed my foot harder on the pedal, the engine’s low growl rising to a roar. An entire wing of Silvertown was completelygone. Debris from the mall was thrown all around, and dust hung low in the air. “What the fuck happened here?”
Barely a mile away, a sudden jolt and a screech of metal on asphalt signaled the wheels giving way. With a sharp twist of the steering wheel, I fought to keep the car from skidding off the icy road, the tires screaming in protest. I knew Jude was screaming next to me, but my ears didn’t hear any sound. His arm crossed my chest, and the car slowed to a halt.
A dozen men, clad in gleaming white helmets and armor, charged toward us, their guns slung across their shoulders. “They shot at us.” My words came out in breaths, and my body was fully tense.
The men reached the car, and they lowered their guns, ready to attack. Jude and I slowly raised our arms above our heads, palms open, to signal we meant no harm. The cold steel barrels of several guns smashed through the car windows, and I stared into the dark visor of one of the helmets. His aggressive stance softened instantly the second he saw the man beside me.
“Jude?” one man asked. “Is that you? We need to bring you to your father immediately.”
“What happened here?” Jude screamed at the guards. “Is everyone alright?”
“A bomb exploded,” the man dutifully advised. “Those in the wing died, but there were far more injuries.”
We were forcefully pulled out of the car and made to stand in the middle of a circle of soldiers. Each of the men in armor surrounding us held their guns across their chests, ready to pull them down if any threat revealed itself.
Jude grabbed my hand as we briskly walked away from the broken-down electric car. “We cannot split up.”
I nodded, my fingers intertwining with his, a feeling of safety washing over me as I knew Jude would keep me safe. We marched for what seemed like hours, though it was probablyonly a few minutes. You don’t know how difficult it is to keep up a quick pace without stepping on the person directly in front of you.
The army led us to an old loading dock with a ramp leading downward. With a deafening rumble and a series of metallic clanks, a large metal gate groaned upward. Walking through the basement of the old mall, the army surrounding me began to disperse, revealing one person waiting for us ahead. With a sigh of relief, the figure removed their heavy silver mask. Arthur was present, his hands lost within the long sleeves of his white robes.
“Jude! Vincent! You’re alive!” Arthur’s eyes shone with an inner light, a wide, joyful smile stretching across his face. “What happened to the rest of the crew?”
“The Dogs got them, but the two of us managed to escape.”
Arthur scanned me. “And you, Vincent? Are you okay?”
My abrupt statement tightened the air with tension. The only person who knew why is standing next to me. Jude’s arm slid behind my back, and I closed my eyes, feeling tears prick my eyelashes. “Just really tired.”
