Page 57 of High Seas

I thought of going to find Yarrow, but thought better of it. If Victor knew she’d helped me in any way, she would disappear like so many others had over the years. Anyone who crossed him; anyone who wasn’t one-hundred percent loyal, one-hundred percent of the time, vanished. They would be going about their business one day, and replaced the next. Commenting on the change could result in your disappearance, so everyone kept quiet.

There were many unwritten rules like that one; truths everyone knew, but of which they never spoke. Things everyone dreamed of, but wouldn’t voice. Wrongs that would never be righted.

That was the thing about living in a cage. Some cages didn’t require bars to keep people in. Victor’s punishments were swift and severe, which had the added benefit of deterring dissention on their own. It was why I wondered why he hadn’t squashed the crowds that gathered every day to demand his attention and action.

I casually walked to the cafeteria, loaded up a tray, and took it back to my room. Just as I entered, my communicator pinged and a message slid down the screen.

I broke it all. Now to sift through the pieces…

Yarrow had cracked the entirety of the encrypted code.

Squeezing my eyes closed, I prayed she would find them. Preferably before my meeting with Enoch tomorrow at noon.

* * *

I slipped out of the Compound early the next morning. As the first rays of sun filtered between buildings and branches, I walked across the city and climbed the stairs to a building adjacent to the Atrium, settling on the rooftop. Then I watched. If Enoch had laid a trap last night, I hadn’t gotten caught up in it yet.

Yarrow was back on duty tonight, but today, running on only a few hours of sleep, she planned to delve through what she described as oceans of data. And to protect me as I went to meet the vampire Eve was supposed to have staked.

Yarrow had hacked every camera in the area surrounding the Atrium and assured me that no one – vampire or human –so much as walked by it last night. If Victor or one of his tech folk looked at any of the feeds, they would see a recording from weeks ago on a day with weather just like this.

The Atrium wasn’t in the Dead Zone, but it was close enough no one would risk staying there. All the humans who used to live there had moved out of this area long ago, encircling the Compound like a noose, the rope tightening more and more as the population was diminished or turned. They kept what they needed at hand and were always ready to move at a moment’s notice. It was a sad existence. Someone needed to do something to stop it. Maybe if we were smart, we could convince Enoch to help us in this plight.

Not a single soul walked by. Birds darted to the occasional weedy squares left between sidewalk and street. They pecked at the dirt, plucked out worms if they were lucky, and flew away. I watched the progress of a gray squirrel who had made his nest in a small tree. He scampered up and down the trunk, darting this way and that. Pausing and looking around, he startled at every flit of a feather or note of birdsong.

As the hours ticked toward noon, the sun’s rays intensified. Even though it wasn’t summer, on a clear fall day, the sun could be almost as hot. Luckily, my suit cooled me so I stayed comfortable. When the sun reached its zenith, the birds flapped to the sky and the squirrel retreated to his nest. Even though the street was empty, the whole world went quiet.

The breeze stopped rattling the leaves and blowing over the grass. The insects stopped chirping and buzzing. It was almost like time itself stopped when he stepped onto the street. He approached from the Dead Zone, walking down the center of the street, alone and seemingly unarmed. Of course, why would the first vampire need a weapon when he was built to kill?

He walked so very human-like, it was almost scary. His skin was vibrant, not ashy or mottled. His hair hadn’t thinned or fallen out in clumps. Unlike the monsters he sired, Enoch was no corpse. Instead, he was a force. One I’d never seen in real life. The broadcasts could capture his face and words, but they could never capture his presence.

I stood from my perch, and the movement drew his attention as he stood in the center of the street below. He waited patiently as I descended the stairs and pushed open the crooked aluminum and glass door that led to the street.

Enoch…was otherworldly. Anyone could look at his eyes and know he wasn’t human.

“You wanted a word with me?” I asked, shattering the silence and tension.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me,” he replied softly. “We have a mutual concern that I’d like to address with you.”

“What concern would that be?”

“Eve’s safety and wellbeing,” he responded.

It was exactly as I suspected. Enoch was using her as a bargaining chip. “Where is she?” I demanded.

His brows furrowed. “She hasn’t returned?”

“No.”

He nodded, pinching his bottom lip. “I miscalculated, then.”

My mind reeled. “Are you saying she reached you?”

“Yes, she did,” he answered coolly.

“When?”

“Several times, spanning throughout hundreds of years. She believed her tech was faulty, which was why she couldn’t land when or where she wanted. When she returns, she will need your help. Immediately, Maru. She isn’t well.”

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