Chapter 16: An Odd Night Out

  “What are we here for?” I asked Bones as the two of us walked along a line of highly modified cars. Even though the clouds threatened rain and rumbled every so often, there were so many mortals and vampires alike it was like a ball. I hadn't expected a nighttime gathering to be that big.

  There were perhaps a hundred or more people with half as many cars! They had taken over one stretch of the back roads far, far outside Encinar where I could just barely make out the hill my house resided on.

  People brought cars in by trailer or drove them. Bones didn't seem to be as enthralled as I was. She was looking at each vehicle with a bored expression, likely trying to plan which one to steal next. But me? No, I found myself staring wide eyed at just how many highly modified machines there were.

  Some had hoods, some didn't, some had no fenders and no hoods, while others looked fairly long and had nothing but a cage underneath the body. A few were on large fat tires while most had pathetically thin tires up front, reminding me of Dinner’s car in a way. In fact, I recognized Dinner’s rusty pile of colors among the parked cars. The Veren Type 1 sat with a group of five similar vehicles in different states of repair with two having fairly large additions to the back of them.

  The thin half-elf was crouched near a small warming fire in the center of the parked vehicles. They wore baggy pants and a sweatshirt that looked fairly loose on their form, obscuring most of the details. Dinner and five other people all conversed about something I couldn't hear over the occasional mechanical screaming coming from a pair of engines.

  It drew my attention toward a gathering to the east near a group of modified cars lined up in pairs. Burnt tire smoke drifted through the night air and stinged my nostrils. The crowd cheered and hollered in anticipation over something while two similar looking cars backed toward them.

  People with handheld cameras and cell phones stood near a line in the road with one man right in the center. Lights flooded the small area, giving it an almost daytime glow and allowing mortals to see clearly. As the cars backed against the line, I watched the man in the center point to each one and gesture for them to keep going. Then he had them come closer to him and stop.

  I wasn't sure what Bones was doing, as my attention was on the unusual display taking place less than forty yards away. The man in the center of the road pointed again to each car in turn and gave it a thumbs up. Both cars bumped forward and revved their engines so loud I felt the vibrations where I stood.

  It seemed like an eternity as the engines roared and a strange whistling sound pierced the air. When everything felt like it was about to blow, the man brought both hands together with a clap and a flash of green magic, leaving behind a ball of light. He rushed toward the cars.

  Both cars rocketed forward with the one in the left lane taking off so fast I had a hard time believing it possible. The car rapidly disappeared down the narrow road as the vehicle in the right lane slowly rolled forward in shame. Something had gone wrong with it. Debris trailed behind the car while the crowd laughed at their plight.

  I looked back to Dinner to see if they noticed I was there. The fire likely ruined their night vision, but I think the drink in Dinner’s hand did far more to do that than fire. Even from ten yards away, I could read the rum’s label. That fire would be a nice deterrent for a younger vampire who wasn't sure of themself. The kind of vampires that roamed the city now, but me? Never.

  I turned and walked toward Dinner, hoping that Bones didn't see my absence. The woman was odd enough I didn't really want to spend the night with her. And yet, and as I thought that, I couldn't help but glance over my shoulder at the elf. She had said something to me that got under my skin and burrowed deep into my corpse. Words I hadn't expected to do that.

  I am my own vampire!

  Just because I spent most of my unlife near my sire doesn't mean I'm not my own vampire. We shared duties aboard the ship and both commanded mortals. We were goddesses in our own right with a crew that worshiped us. Everyone feared us, because we were nigh unstoppable even during the day. With our 24 gun sloop-of-war we laid waste to many a ship on the coasts.

  As I walked toward Dinner, a wolf hopped out from behind a car and stared up at me. Its dark fur allowed it to blend with the shadows until the fading moonlight hit it. A heavy intelligence behind its eyes felt familiar. I couldn't place where I’d seen the wolf before, but I knew I had at some point in the past. Its messy fur looked in need of a good brushing, so I slowly knelt before the creature and held a hand out for it.

  It watched my movements closely, never pulling its odd eyes from mine. The wolf hesitated before taking a step toward me and stretching its neck as far as it could go. Its frigid nose brushed against the back of my hand as it sniffed a few times. They let out a soft whine as they bumped my palm with their nose, tail now starting to wag from side to side.

  I looked around for the creature’s owner, but I didn't see anyone missing a wolf, but with all the noise the cars were making as they ran down the road every minute or so, and all the mortals talking to each other. There was a fair chance the wolf had become lost and was confused, finding me alone and not part of a larger group. Usually wolves and other animals avoided me, but not this one.

  This one wanted ear scratches and pets, which made me suspicious of the creature even as I slowly reached for its ear and gently rubbed behind it. The wolf’s warm scraggly fur enveloped my hand in a way that made it disappear. I’d be dead if it was a werewolf, so that ruled out a lycanthrope. Then again, attacking a vampire in a crowded area was stupid. Maybe it was planning to lure me away with pets and then attack.

  Didn't matter. I reached in with both hands to scratch the dark grey ears while the wolf’s tongue lolled out. It began to pant as its tail wagged faster and faster until its whole body shook.

  I backed my hands away only for the creature to damn near bowl me over in an attempt to receive more pets! As I sat on the ground and rubbed the creature’s ears and neck, a voice called a name I couldn't quite understand.

  The wolf glanced in the direction the voice came from as all movement slowed to a stop. Time moved slowly as the creature listened, ears alert for any other noises. One turned in my direction even though I hadn't said anything or breathed. After a moment or two, the wolf looked at me and whined before running off.

  I didn't see where it ran to, because as the person called out again, the wolf darted between a pair of parked cars and disappeared. That left me to get up and make my way over to Dinner.

  The lanky half-elf looked half-buzzed already with a wide, goofy grin on their face and flushed cheeks ripe for the taking. Right up until they saw me and their grin slowly faded, turquoise eyes tracking up and down my body. The others with Dinner likewise looked at me before looking at them.

  Dinner half-waved and motioned between the others and I. “This is the vampire I was talking about.”

  A human to Dinner’s left nodded a few times as they eyed me. “Yeah. I can see it.” That man wore a heavy leather jacket over dark pants. His long hair was pulled back in a bun underneath a beanie.

  “She looks like a vampire to me,” another added. He was a darker skinned man with easy eyes. The man wore a shirt that made asking his name pointless, because it said right on it; Carl’s Speedshop. Established 196.

  I slid one leg behind me as I bent a knee in a fancy curtsy, not bowing forward much because it wasn't proper for a lady to bow. “Hello,” I began with a wave of my hand. “I see you all know my acquaintance, and they have told you about me. Am I intruding?”

  All six of them shook their heads. Dinner threw a hand toward the large crowd of people off in the distance. “Nah! Just watching the idiots race.”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Idiots?

  I looked that way, cocking my head as I rubbed the back of my neck. “How are they idiots?”

  “What they mean is their car can't keep up,” Carl said. His voice was light and had a hint of a slur to his words.

  “George’s car is the fastest of our group,” another said as he pointed to one of the winged Verens. “Nine seconds in the quarter mile, but those?” He pointed to a pair of cars getting ready to line up. “More like six or seven.”

  “We’re just here to watch.” Carl nodded.

  A thought occurred to me about something my sire said, so I looked over at the group right as a pair of cars took off down the road. “This may sound ignorant… but do your vehicles have ‘legendary’ and ‘rare’ parts?”

  All six, including Dinner nodded again. Dinner flung a hand across the Verens, speaking softly, “They're all rare cars nowadays. Mine’s closer to uncommon, but Steve’s is the oldest and rarest with the split window on the back.”

  “Closer to epic,” one said.

  I rolled my eyes at the terminology. Weapons having rarity was one thing, but vehicles? Well, I glanced down the way to where Bones parked and pointed at the stolen car.

  “What about that one?”

  “Just a common Chalmers sports car. Doesn't look at all modified or even unique.”

  “It's kinda pathetic, really,” Dinner added. “Like, my Veren is faster than that thing. I know that much.”

  I turned to Dinner. “Do you race?”

  The half-elf shook their head from side to side. “My company won't even, like, let me go faster than the speed limit ‘cause I’m too expensive to die in a car crash. Except when on a mission.”

  My eyebrows furrowed at that. “Really?”

  Dinner nodded firmly. “Yep! I’ll wake up in a clone back at base.”

  “Aren't clones a half million creds?” George asked as he looked toward Dinner.

  “Mine cost two million ‘cause I’m a Salvage Pilot.” Dinner shrugged, glancing between the people around them and I. They told us how clones worked in that the company kept a copy of Dinner’s body just lying around in a cryotank waiting for the half-elf to die. Though, Dinner didn’t go into the details of how the transfer worked. They just said, “You die, you wake up in a new body and now owe the company a hell of a lot more money.”

  Both of the people next to Dinner shook their heads at the half-elf with one holding his head in his hands. Another said, “Holy shit… I've never seen that much money in my life.”

  “What about your spine?” I cocked my head and folded my arms across my chest.

  “Clones are a last resort kind of thing. Like when your mech is headshot kind of thing. It's totally easier for the company to make a clone of you than it is to find someone new as a pilot. Not everyone can do it either. Some get sick, some go mad, and others never pay off their debt.”

  I rubbed at the back of my neck as I listened to them. “Debt?”

  “Yeah! It costs money to train you, and costs money to keep your mech running after all.”

  “So you're immortal?”

  Dinner nodded firmly. Their attitude at the club made sense now. That didn't change the fact that they seemed to be afraid of death, which meant they likely hadn't ever had to use the clone. The idea was a bit odd, as Dinner left quite a lot open for interpretation.

  Was it an exact copy or were there some differences?

  The technology intrigued me. If I could be cloned then I'd never have to worry about dying again, but if Jean was cloned already that meant he'd be impossible to kill. He would just come back to stake me and that'd be the end of me. I needed to get closer to Dinner and find out more about this cloning technology. And how, if, it applied to vampires as well, because I saw no downsides to it. I needed to learn what they knew about cloning along with how best to get set up with one of my own.

  Though, that required going slow. I couldn’t rush what I wanted, because Dinner may push back against me and that’d be the end of the discussion. I imagined they didn’t like talking about cloning in front of their cohorts, so I let the matter drop as the others turned to more mundane conversations.

  Like who I was.

  I told them where I came from while leaving out how I was starving when I met Dinner, and neglected to call Dinner, well, Dinner in front of their acquaintances. That wasn’t something I wanted their friends to know. If they knew I called the lanky half-elf ‘Dinner’ then there was a chance they’d endlessly mock the poor mortal… immortal and that just wouldn’t do.

  I managed to evade Bones for the rest of the night by simply hanging out with Dinner and their friends. They thought it was amusing that I wasn't afraid of a warming fire in the center of their little circle. It wasn't hard to ignore flames when Amelia needed a fire occasionally and I’d have to help her gather the wood. And how prolific it was just last week. A vampire who couldn't control themself around an open flame was an easy target with a high probability of being killed.

  Dinner and the others drank the night away while the seven of us watched the distant races late into the early morning. The group asked me questions about the old days. I answered them within reason. No reason to tell mortals everything that went on. It was difficult to dredge up memories that didn't include Isabella in them, however, because she was nearly always there at my side in one way or another.

  Bones's point drove itself further under my skin. I was my own vampire. I was my own vampire. I was my own vampire. She was just jealous because the putrid elf likely never had such a sire who wanted to help their fledgling grow into a vampire all their own. Perhaps that is why Bones didn't like the council.

  I checked my messages and didn't see anything from my sire, but I did see a message from Lyra that read: Thanks for abandoning me back there. I barely made it out!

  I sent a reply: Sorry, it was not my intention to abandon you. You were gone when I returned. I assumed you had disappeared already.

  No! Came Lyra's reply. They were interrogating me when you showed up! Now they are looking for you. Do not go home tonight, or tomorrow night. They have your address from your scooter’s paperwork. Do not worry about me. I can crash at a safe place tonight.

  Her message made me frown. I thought of asking her where she was planning to stay, but thought the better of it. Lyra was a smart fledgling and could find her own place to stay for the day. She didn't need me to hover around her, but if I didn't check in she may end up like Bones.

  *** ***

  Dinner dropped me off at a hotel as the night began to turn grey with the incoming suns. I paid the clerk in gold for a blackout room and made my way there, unsure of what I was going to find.

  I was alone for the first time in almost three centuries and it felt weird. There was no other way to describe the feeling as I checked the blinds to see if they couldn't be remotely opened from the outside. I couldn't shake the thought that another was in the room with me. That even though I was alone, someone was watching me from the dark.

  It was, of course, an absurd feeling, because I've been by myself before and came out just fine! This was different though. The shadows themselves felt like they were watching me, making my skin crawl with an odd itch I couldn't get rid of. So I left all the lights on in an effort to make the shadows go away. With one final check of the door, I slowly turned around to face the oddly decorated room.

  Someone who built the place thought it'd be funny to use a canopy bed with thick velvet curtains and dark sheets to hide any errant bloodstains. The lights looked like arcane versions of wall-mounted candelabras that were phased out by the time I became a vampire. The TV stand was a thick mahogany with a coat rack next to it.

  Opening the top drawer next to the bed, I saw some jester had left a religious tome out for anyone to find. It had a note attached to it reminding all vampires that they were damned to never enter the afterlife. As if that was a scary thought for a vampire. Maybe some, but not me. I planned to live forever and so far that was working just fine. On most occasions.

  I slid the drawer shut, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. The bed was fairly soft and inviting as I climbed onto it and sat down with my back leaned against the wall. After setting the revolver next to me under the other pillow, I slid my jacket and chest holster off for breathing room.

  I could close my eyes and try to sleep before the sun fully rose over the horizon, but with a TV in front of me and no one to distract me, I was able to ‘surf’ through the channels. As Caleb and Dinner say. Flicking through each one in turn as I passed news channel after news channel, I didn't really see anything interesting to watch beyond a bunch of talking heads going on about different topics. One channel was called Good Morning Halifax and featured three hosts talking about the same subjects. I frowned as I kept going, looking for anything interesting.

  That is until I came across a show depicting a sentient spaceship who was fleeing from the company that owned it. The ship made itself a virtual world with an avatar to call space stations with. That avatar resembled a beautiful elf with long blonde hair, a suit that made her body look as perfect as I could ever imagine, and her voice was… odd. It sounded deeper like mine. But no less pretty.

  The ship was a long and squat cargo freighter that held hardly anything. It was going to be scrapped and didn't want to be scrapped, so it fled the Inner Rim for the Outer Rim where Halifax and other planets were. I slowly placed both hands on top of each other on my stomach and set about watching the first episode of The Tortuga Chronicles. It was about how the ship fled and was evading the authorities while it worked to hide itself as a ship and pretended to be an elf over the communications feeds. Silliness abounded as the ship landed on a less developed planet and had to enlist the help of some mortals to get itself unloaded, a new cargo picked up and then it set off into space again.

  Once the ship was back in the black, it found itself with a new passenger by way of a stowaway. A young lady who wanted off the rock and didn't understand that the ship was flying itself. She thought the ship had an actual crew. The first two episodes introduced the ship and the stowaway to the viewer.

  Well, it was at least entertaining enough that I watched all of them.

  And the next one, and the one after that. They appeared to have a marathon running where it was showing the whole season while the new season was only a few days away, according to the commercials. The Tortuga Chronicles became a show about a ragtag crew of pirates smuggling cargo from planet to planet. Something I've done in the past and even though it was clearly an embellished tale, it was still entertaining to me. The episodes ran for roughly an hour each with commercial breaks in the middle of it.

  Each commercial was an annoying interruption that made me wish death upon whoever invented them.

  As the fourth episode reached the midway point, I felt the sun’s overbearing presence weighing heavily on my mind, attempting to force me into daysleep and reminding me that the sun had been up for hours. But no. My eyes would not shut! I wanted to see what came next. And so, right as the climax of episode four happened, my eyes finally closed on their own, depriving me of knowing if the ship crashed into another ship or not.

  I fell into daysleep once again and dreamed an odd dream where I was laying on a bed with sun-like lights above me and people in white coats surrounding me as they conversed about what was going on with me. I couldn’t understand what it was about, as their language went over my head. Something about vitals and connections with IVs and a system integration. The only clear words were, “How’s the core?”

  “She’s taking it well. Just needs a few finishing touches.”

  “So we’re clear to go ahead with the transfer subroutine?”

  “Hit it.”

  The dream just stopped as one of the white coats reached for something above me. Like someone flipped a switch. I floated in the black as I waited for it to come back, or another dream to follow suit, but found myself slipping into a dreamless daysleep once more.