Dominion of the Damned (11 page)

Esme merely laughed. “Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you about this one, my dear,” she called. “She certainly thinks a lot of herself.”

Hannah backed away from the vampires as she checked Noah over. He looked okay. There were no visible signs of abuse, and he seemed happy enough. She even thought he might have gained a little weight.

“Who is this?” Konstantin asked as he reached them. Only then did Hannah notice the other child, a little girl who clung to Esme’s hand and peeked out from behind her skirt. She couldn’t have been more than five.

“Another orphan,” said Esme. “I know you’ll insist on taking her next time, so you might as well just have her now.”

“Why wasn’t she on the list?”

“Because it was only today that her father had his tragic accident.” She looked at Hannah as she spoke, as if daring her to reveal the truth. But judging by the suspicious look on Dr. Konstantin’s face, Hannah didn’t need to say anything.

“Far too many ‘accidents’ happen in your camp, Esme.”

Hannah knelt down and reached a hand out to the girl. “Come here, honey. Come to me.” The little girl reluctantly crept out from behind Esme. She was dressed in faded jeans that were too big for her and rolled up at the ankles, and a boy’s tee-shirt with R2-D2 on the front. Orange curls sprang from her head in every direction. “It’s okay,” said Hannah as she got closer. “What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Abby.”

“Abby, that’s pretty.” Hannah smiled. “I’m Hannah, and this is Noah.”

She looked sullenly at the baby, and wiped her nose. “Where’s my daddy?”

Hannah shot a look at Esme, who simply stood there, looking bored. Konstantin crouched down beside them. “Where’s your mommy?” he asked.

“She’s in Heaven with meemaw and Jesus.”

Konstantin glanced briefly at Hannah, and she thought she saw genuine pity in his eyes. He reached out and put a hand on Abby’s shoulder. “Your daddy needed to go be with your mommy in Heaven. But we’re going to take care of you, okay?”

She nodded, then pulled her shirt up over her head to hide her face. A high pitched wail came from underneath the shirt, and Konstantin pulled the little girl into his arms. “It’s going to be all right,” he said, standing up with her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and clung to him. He stared daggers at Esme. “Try not to make any more orphans before I return.”

“That will be easier to manage with you gone.” Esme cast another contemptuous glance at Hannah before turning on her heel and leaving them.

Konstantin watched her go, then turned to Hannah. “Do you need me to hold the baby while you strap in?”

“I’ve got it,” she said, but she didn’t move. What would happen to them if they got on that helicopter? Would they be flying to an even worse horror show than the one they were leaving?

Trust me
, the doctor kept telling her. So far he hadn’t done anything to show that he couldn’t be trusted, but he hadn’t exactly demonstrated that he
could
, either.
Except, he said he’d get you Noah
, she remembered,
and he did.

This was the moment of truth, then, that would shine the light on the doctor’s intentions. Sometimes, moments of truth required a leap of faith.

She had to be crazy to put any amount of faith in one of these creatures. But it wasn’t exactly like she had a choice, was it? If she stayed, Esme would almost certainly kill her and Noah, and probably not in that order.

Hannah climbed into the helicopter.

Another vampire sat in the pilot’s seat. He nodded to her as she scooted across the back row of seats. She settled Noah in her lap and strapped herself in as Konstantin buckled Abby into the seat beside her. As he climbed into the front seat he told the pilot, “Get us out of here.”

TWELVE

Hannah began to relax. As the helicopter lifted off, she remembered that she’d never flown before, and a mild sense of panic gripped her as they became airborne. She closed her eyes and clung to the children, and concentrated on the feeling of Noah’s warm little body in her arms, something she’d been afraid she would never feel again.

At last, she had opened her eyes to venture a look out the window. It was too dark to see the ground, but when she looked up, she could see the stars. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen them, and she didn’t think she’d ever seen so many of them. This high up, with no lights to compete with them and obscure them, she could see the Milky Way, a river of starlight cutting across the night sky.

A sense of calm washed over her as she gazed up at the stars. She leaned over to look back at the ground they’d covered. The prison was already out of sight. There were no lights on the ground. She didn’t know whether it was because they were flying over open countryside, or because there simply wasn’t any power this far out.

In the front, Konstantin and the pilot were both lit up by the soft, green glow of the instrument panel. They spoke animatedly to each other, and Konstantin looked angry. Hannah found a set of headphones hanging above her. She put them on and fumbled with the switch.

“—thought you were guarding it,” she heard Konstantin say.

“I was,” said the pilot. “But I could only keep watch from inside during the day, you know that.”

“Somebody must’ve gotten past you.”

“I don’t see how.”

“How else do you explain it?” Konstantin sighed. “Can you land it?”

“Sure. But it’ll be rough. I don’t think there’s enough fuel left to get us all the way down.”

“What’s happening?” asked Hannah.

Konstantin looked back at her. If he was annoyed at her listening in, he didn’t show it. “We’re losing fuel, and some of the instruments aren’t working. We have to land.” He unbuckled his seat belt and shifted toward her. “Give the baby to me.”

Hannah tightened her grip on Noah. “Why?”

“He’ll be safer with me. I’ll be able to hold onto him better. You and Abby need to brace for impact. Put your heads down on your knees and hold on.”

Her sense of panic returned, and her heart pounded as she hugged Noah tightly and kissed his forehead. Reluctantly, she handed him over to Konstantin. “Make sure your belts are tightened,” he told her, then turned to put his own seat belt back on.

Hannah reached over to check Abby’s straps, then took down another set of headphones and put them on her. “Can you hear me?” she asked after switching them on. The little girl nodded. “We’re going to land now, okay? And it might be a little scary, so you need to hold on.”

“Are we crashing?”

“I don’t know,” Hannah said, “but we need to be ready, just in case.”

“I’m scared!”

“I know. It’ll be okay. Now lean over and hold onto your knees, okay? Like this.” Hannah leaned forward and embraced her legs. Abby imitated her. “Good. Now keep your face in your lap, and close your eyes.” The little girl buried her face between her knees, and Hannah did the same. She breathed deeply, trying to keep from hyperventilating and forcing her body to unclench as she felt the helicopter descend.

It fell too fast. The engine went silent, and the hum and steady beat of the blades slowed to nothing. Abby cried softly as Hannah said a silent prayer. “This is it,” said the pilot just before they hit the ground. The impact jarred Hannah’s entire body. Her top half flung backward, slamming her head against the wall. She flopped forward again like a rag doll, stunned and disoriented. Metal groaned as she realized they were still moving, tilting forward, and then they fell back again with a crunch, and everything went still.

***

Noah was crying. So was the little girl. Hannah’s vision swam. “Is everyone all right?” Konstantin’s voice called out.

Hannah shook her head to clear it, and regretted the movement. The back of her head throbbed with pain. She blinked until she could see straight, then looked over at Abby. “Are you okay?” she asked, checking the girl over for injuries. When she didn’t find any, she said, “We’re fine. What about Noah?”

“He’s okay.”

“Give him to me.”

Konstantin handed the baby back to Hannah. “You need to quiet him.” He glanced at Abby. “Quiet them both.”

“They’re a little traumatized right now,” said Hannah, irritated by the command. “I think they can be expected to cry for a while.”

“They’re going to hear us,” Konstantin hissed, then turned to the pilot. “The radio?”

“It’s busted.”

“Can you fix it?”

“I can try. You’d better get them out of here, though.”

Konstantin exited the helicopter and opened the back door. He unbuckled Abby and pulled her into his arms. “I know you’re scared, but you need to be quiet right now. Can you do that? Can you be a brave girl?”

She clung to him and nodded, her sobs fading into small whimpers. He held out a hand for Hannah. “We have to move.”

Hannah slid out of the helicopter without taking his hand. As her feet hit the ground, it tilted, and she pitched forward. She managed to hold onto Noah as Konstantin caught her with his free arm. He held her, steadying her, his arm solid and strong. “You’re bleeding,” he said.

“I hit my head.”

“Tell me how you feel.”

“Dizzy.” Her stomach turned over, and she added, “Nauseous.”

“You probably have a concussion.” He leaned her against the helicopter, and sighed. “You have to give me the baby.”

“No.” Her voice sounded weak, and it was all she could do to hold Noah and stay upright. But she didn’t want to let him go.

“Hannah, look at me.” His hand cupped her face and gently turned her to face him. He let go and produced a small flashlight from one of the many pockets of his fatigues. “Keep your eyes open.” He turned the light on and shined it into her eyes. She blinked, but tried to force them to stay open. “You definitely have a concussion,” he said, putting the light away. “You’re in no shape to move right now. You’ll have to stay with Carl while I get the children to safety. Then I’ll come back for you.”

“Why can’t we all just stay here?”

“The crash drew their attention. They’re coming.”

Hannah didn’t have to ask who
they
were. “Where are you taking them?”

“There’s a barn.” He pointed behind him. “That way. It’s not far. I can get the children there and come back for you before the others get here. But I have to go now.” He pressed cold metal into her hand. “Can you shoot?”

“Always.”

“Good. They’ll be drawn by the scent of blood. I should be back before they reach you, but just in case. Now hand me the baby.”

Hannah tried to hold onto Noah, but her grip on him was slipping. The doctor caught him and started walking away before she could protest. “Carl, watch out for her,” he called to the pilot, then promised Hannah, “I’ll be right back.”

He moved so fast that the darkness swallowed him up almost immediately. Noah’s cries grew more distant with each passing second. Hannah hoped that she hadn’t just made another fatal mistake, letting him go.

Nausea overwhelmed her, and she pitched forward on her hands and knees. She emptied her stomach onto the grass, and then rolled over onto her side.

“Whoah, there,” Carl the pilot said as he came around the helicopter. “The doc’ll have my head if he comes back and sees you like that.” He helped her to her feet and guided her back into the helicopter, practically lifting her into the back seat. He leaned into the front and rummaged for something, then handed her a rag. “Here. Press that to the back of your head.”

As Hannah reached for it, Carl smiled, revealing fangs that glinted in the ‘copter’s light. She drew back, and his smile faded. “What’s wrong? Oh,” he nodded, seeming to realize, “these. Don’t worry. Happens when we smell blood. It’s just a reflex, like how your mouth waters when you smell a good steak cooking. Doesn’t mean a thing.”

“Why are you helping me?” she asked. “Why don’t you just kill me?”

Carl laughed. “Well, for starters, the doc would rip me a new one, and I don’t mean that metaphorically. Anyway, why would I kill you?”

“You’re a vampire,” she said, as though it should be obvious.

He shrugged. “So’s the guy you just handed your baby to. Do you think he wants to kill you?”

“I don’t know what he wants.”

“Right now, he wants you safe, and he wants me to get that radio working so I can call for help.” He set the rag beside her and left her to get back to work.

She picked up the rag and held it to the back of her head. It hurt to the touch, and she felt the rag grow wet and sticky with blood. Her entire head throbbed. Another wave of nausea washed over her, but she breathed deeply and managed to keep it under control. She felt sleepy, and fought the temptation to lie down.

Outside, a haunting chorus of moans drifted on the wind. Hannah’s grip tightened on the gun handle. She should check to make sure it was properly loaded, but she could barely lift it. The edges of her vision became cloudy and gray. As that cloud closed in, she felt herself slipping, sliding down into the seat.

THIRTEEN

Strong arms lifted her, held her against a hard chest as they carried her away from the helicopter. Its light faded away as darkness swallowed her up and wind filled her hair. Close by, she heard a lifeless groan. Too close. She fumbled with the gun that she still held against her stomach, but she was too weak to lift it, let alone aim and shoot.