Alpha's Claim to Fame

A Familiar Face

Mason

The screaming hasn’t stopped for almost two weeks now. That woman couldn’t catch a break. There’s no doubt in my mind that she’ll be dead soon. If she does manage to survive the warden will throw her in here to be picked off.

My clan and I rarely leave the sanctity of our compartment. Feedings and Gaize’s brawls with the Alpha’s are all that really drags us out. I swear he’s going to get us all killed one day.

Not soon enough.

The news has been broadcasting the same story lately. Something about a guitarist going missing a few weeks ago. Around the same time the screams started ironically.

I wonder if there’s any connection.

Kid’s been a pretty big deal around here lately. She’s all anyone talks about. From her unmasking on a hit singing show to her talent with the guitar, Kitty Haize has become a legend. My family is obsessed with the story. Even bigshot, brute Gaize has become enamored with her silky voice and pretty face. We’ve all been fans, and her disappearance has been like a rock to the gut.

Earlier today, after the afternoon Kitty Haize story, the screaming stopped. All we could do was look at each other in stunned silence.

“Well,” Jonas coughed, finally breaking the silence. “Nice to hear myself think for once this month.”

His sister gave him a mocking laugh. “You think? Since when?”

“f**k off, Dina,” Jonas hissed.

“Enough,” Joshua demanded. “I’ll admit the silence is. . . deafening.”

“But also worrisome,” I added. “Makes you wonder if she died already. Or perhaps being prepped to be thrown in the compound somewhere.”

“s**t,” Nicolas cursed. “I really hope they don’t drag her into the cafeteria.” Anna gave him a look and squeezed his hand. “She certainly won’t live through that.”

I shook my head and got up from my bed to peer down our hall. It was empty, save for the wandering rogue or two. I didn’t hear the showers running either, for once. I guess nobody was feeling particularly horny, as of late.

I leaned against the sliding door just observing the compartment. It was comprised of about a dozen bunk beds, several of which were occupied by my own. Nobody else comes down to this end of the berthing, so we just took it over. At least not since Gaize ripped the head off the last vampire that came near his sister. Surprising, considering he wasn’t that close to any of us.

My grandson, Nicolas, the typical blond hair blue-eyed skater-boy, and his mate Anna, a short raven-haired hazel-eyed beauty, curled up together in a bunk near the wall. Michael, a tall brunette with eyes to match, and his mate Dina, huddled over a deck of cards. She and Jonas had the same dark brown hair as Gaize, brown eyes as opposed to his blue, and aside from the eyes you could tell easily they were siblings.

Joshua and Marcy, my son and his wife, bunked near us. Marcy was a short and petite brunette with the typical red eyes some vampires get after they turn. Joshua was tall and burly, and inherited my lovely June’s blond hair and pretty blue eyes. And then there was me, your typical old man with a head of silver hair and burly muscles.

There were a few empty racks scattered about, belonging to Gaize and his two henchmen, or whatever they were. But they hardly ever came down this way. If Gaize ever did it was at Dina’s request. As awkward as I’m sure it was for him though, I think he enjoyed the change of company.

It’s been quiet for a few hours now. Joshua and I have been taking turns listening by the door to the civilian’s section of the compound. There was a door like this in every compound and compartment, to allow the guards easy access to us if they needed it or just wanted to be cruel. Every now and then I’ll hear the guards laughing on the other side.

When it finally opened in walked two infantry-men, heavily dressed in thick riot gear and brandishing weapons of all sorts. Along with them they dragged a body smelling heavily of tainted blood and chemicals.

With a heavy grunt they dropped her in. “Enjoy your snack.” And out they went again.

Nobody moved. You could hear a pin drop, or in this case the heavy and irregular breathing of the poor woman they dumped on our floor.

I was the first to move, kneeling next to her unconscious form. She was small, extremely malnourished and reeking not only of sour blood but some kind of cleaning chemicals. Bleach, maybe? Ammonia? Her clothes were ripped and tattered, and completely soaked through in what I can only assume was blood, water and those chemicals.

Under the layers of blood on her hair I could see streaks of blue. It looked like she had a lot of facial piercings too, that they must have ripped out. I tore a sleeve off my shirt and gently wiped some of the blood off her face. She looked strangely familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

I started feeling my way down her body. At least a good 80% of her bones were broken or misplaced, and one was even protruding from her leg. I’m sure there was some internal bleeding and a collapsed lung, but the girl had suffered enough without me putting my hands on her any longer.

I peeled up and eyelid, and the strange blue, green, amber mix of colors took me by surprise. Clean and well groomed, I’m sure she was nothing short of beautiful. But where have I seen those eyes before?

“Mason?” It was June.

“The girl,” I started, realization slowly setting in. “The one that went missing, was Kitty Haize, right?”

Bedsprings groaned under someone’s weight. “Yeah, why?”

As carefully as I could I picked up the young woman. She groaned against my chest. “She’s not missing anymore.”

No one said anything as I placed Kitty down on the nearest empty bunk. We shared a stunned silence, just listening to the labored breathing before me.

Marcy broke the silence first. “W-What? You can’t be serious.”

I snapped my fingers at Anna. “Fetch me water and bandages. Quickly.”

She shot up and rushed out of the compartment, Dina hot on her tail. June helped me peel the shirt off Kitty, her eyes wide in horror at the blood pooling on the bed under her.

There were deep cuts all down her abdomen, and a massive gash on her backside leading across to her right hip. There was a similarly placed scar under it, as if someone had attempted to trace it and reopen the wound. Kitty groaned in pain as June gently rolled her onto her side, taking a small sewing kit from Marcy’s outstretched hand.

Anna and Dina came rushing back in with bowls of water, rags and a few bandages. They started handing over soaked rags. I gently cleaned the blood off Kitty’s face, hearing the curses around me as everyone saw it was, in fact, Kitty Haize.

“Oh my god!” Dina sobbed into her hands. “This poor girl! What have they done to her?”

Kitty’s body was growing warm with fever. I placed a damp rag on her forehead, pausing as her eyes fluttered open slightly. Fresh tears rolled down her face, eyes glossed over with fever and exhaustion. She coughed, sending her body into a small spasm. June, who was busy trying to stitch up that gash, stopped working. Her hands were growing shaky, so I motioned for Joshua to take over for her as I tried setting some of the broken bones in Kitty’s arms and legs.

As he rolled her onto her back again she coughed, blood spluttering out from her lips and dripping down her neck. As I wiped it away, I brushed my fingers against her throat. There was a large bruise running from under her right eye to her throat and down across her chest. I took the bandages from Dina. Kitty’s wrists and ankles were rubbed raw down to the bone from whatever they binded her with. I’m surprised she hasn’t bled out from that alone.

I sighed and sat back against the wall next to her head. There’s nothing more to do now. Now, we play the waiting game.