Part 8

Alea iacta est – The die has been cast

            Cal pointed his gun at her before he flipped around and with two quick shots took down Arthur and James. Cal quickly undid Sabrina’s bonds and carried her smoking body into the shade of a willow tree. He caressed her quickly healing skin. “Sabrina. Sabrina. Love, please stay with me.”

            Sabrina’s eyes fluttered open. “Cal?”

            He held her close. “Yes, love, I’m here.” He watched as the burn holes in her face closed. Cal lavished her face with kisses. Her pale skin was cold and supple. Her blonde hair was shiny against the dark grass.

            “Sabrina, are you okay? Is there anything I can do to help?” He kissed her softly again.

            Sabrina whispered something that Cal was unable to hear.

            Cal leaned closer to her mouth. “What was that, love?”

            The vampire feebly put her arms around Cal’s neck and he leaned down so her lips were almost touching his ear.

            “What is it, love?”

            “I need you.”

            “How? How can I help?”

            Arthur blinked his eyes slowly. The dart was obviously not meant for humans. He was unable to move his body however. He glanced around, but was only able to see the sun coming up over the far mountains and the trees they had tied Sabrina to. He strained to hear what was going on.

            “I need your blood,” Sabrina said slowly and softly.

            Cal, don’t! Arthur struggled to move his body.

            Cal gazed at Sabrina and nodded, tears falling down his face. He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. The sunlit shade glistened against his fair skin making the dark bruises on his chest more prominent. He lifted Sabrina effortlessly to his neck. Sabrina’s teeth elongated and she sunk them into Cal’s ashen neck.

            Cal grimaced, his face twisted with pain, making only a slight grunt. He held her up until his arms wouldn’t support her weight. Sabrina’s renewed strength helped her pull Cal closer and she switched their positions.

            Arthur had regained enough movement to be able to wriggled around to where he believed Cal and Sabrina had gone. He was forced to watch as Sabrina laid Cal on the grass. She continued to drink from the billionaire until he was deathly pale. Having finally regained use of his arms, Arthur started to crawl toward Sabrina. He stopped short when he saw Sabrina puncture her wrist and squeeze a dozen drops in Cal’s throat. She closed his mouth, kissed him chastely and ran away into the fading darkness jumping from shadow to shadow.

            Arthur watched the vampire run off. He wiggled his fingers experimentally followed by his toes, arms and legs. They worked, but were still a little weak. He crawled over to Cal, worried for him. Sabrina must have killed him, but what was with her giving him her blood?

            “Cal. Cal!” Arthur shook him as hard as he was capable. “Wake up, Cal!”

            James army-crawled over. “What happened? I was out until just now.” Once he saw Cal’s body, he stopped. “Is he… is he dead?” James’s face paled quickly. “No…”

            “I don’t know. He won’t wake up and he’s colder than usual.” Arthur tried to swallow the anxiousness rising in his chest. He looked at the place Sabrina had disappeared.

            James slapped the billionaire. “Wake up! Wake up! Come on. Cal, please!” He stopped slapping Cal’s face, tears in his eyes, and looked at Cal’s face. James gasped. “Arthur, look…”
            Arthur looked at Cal’s face and gasped as well. Cal’s wounds were healing slowly, but surely. Arthur and James looked at his chest, the bruises were turning purple, yellow and green before disappearing completely.

            “What the hell?” James whispered awed and confused.

            “I don’t know, but he’s still not waking up. We need to do something quick. We should call 911.”

            James slammed his hand on Cal’s chest. “Wake up!”

            Cal coughed, sat up and a small amount of blood trickled out of his mouth. He groaned and laid back down.

            “You’re alive!” James exclaimed.

            “I would be more alive if you hadn’t tried to kill me, dumb ass,” Cal replied weakly.

            James kissed Cal’s forehead. “But you’re alive!”

            Cal sat up. “I was never dead.”

            “But Sabrina sucked you dry,” Arthur responded confused.

            “Not all the way. She only took a little, not enough to kill me.”

            “I saw how much she took and it wasn’t a little.” Arthur crossed his arms.

            “Well, it obviously wasn’t enough to kill me.”

            “Have you seen yourself lately? You look like Death, warmed over.”

            “No, does it look like there is a mirror around here?”

            James pulled out his phone and took a picture. He showed it to Cal.

            Cal felt his face and then his chest. “Man, I look good, except for the pale part.”

            “Yeah, you do,” James grinned.

            Arthur glanced at Cal, then at the place where Sabrina had disappeared and back again. His mind was trying to piece the puzzle together. “Cal? Do you feel any different?”

            “Uh, not really. Why?”

            Arthur stood up and pulled Cal up with him. He quickly pushed Cal out into the sun.

            “What was that for?” Cal demanded, arms folded in front of him.

            Arthur blushed and looked at the ground for a moment. “I thought you might be a vampire.”

            “What?” Cal and James said together.

            “I heard that if a vampire and a human share blood, the human would be a vampire too.”

            Cal raised an eyebrow. “Clearly, I’m not.”

            James squinted at him. “I think you are.”

            Throwing up his hands in exasperation, Cal stormed back into the shade. “And why do you think that?”

            “You’re paler, stronger, and your wounds are mostly healed.”

            “Mostly healed? Do I look mostly healed to you?” Cal said and dropped to the ground where he started doing push-ups.

            “You certainly are full health,” Arthur noted. “You’re not helping your point by doing push ups, you know.”

            “No, please,” James said watching in fascination. “Continue.”

            “The world looks somehow brighter, more colorful. I feel amazing!”

            “You look amazing!”

            “Shut up, James.” Cal stood up and flexed his arms. “Look at me.”

            “There is something wrong with you. You shouldn’t have healed that fast,” Arthur pointed out. “We should go see Emily.”

            “Why? Nothing’s wrong. We should be going after Sabrina,” Cal responded.

            “I thought you didn’t want to kill it. Especially since now she has shown she’s not willing to take your life,” James said.

            “I don’t. It’s fairly obvious to me that she isn’t soulless or not herself. She is Sabrina. I just want to talk to her.”

            “It may have Sabrina’s memories, but she’s not Sabrina,” Arthur replied.

            “It is too!” Cal nearly yelled, his face turning a pale pink. “Didn’t the fact that she has Sabrina’s memories show you, she is the same? Doesn’t the fact that she saved my life show that she isn’t all evil?”

            “Point taken,” Arthur conceded.

            “No, all that shows is that she likes the taste of Cal’s blood and doesn’t want him to die,” James responded. “Or she’s taking orders from someone that doesn’t want Cal dead.”

            Silence permeated the area.

            “I still think that we should go see Emily,” Arthur said.

            “Fine, we’ll go see Emily,” Cal replied with a roll of his eyes.

            Later that day, the three guys once again found themselves at the 15^th Street Spectra.

            “Déjà vu,” James said, “I feel like I’ve been here once before. Or twice. Or three times.”

            “Shut up, James,” Arthur and Cal said together.

            “Gees, just pointing out that we should have just taken Emily with us.”

            The guys got out of Arthur’s car and started walking across the street. Cal stopped in the middle, a hand over his eyes.

            “Why is it so bright outside? Has it always been this bright? Where are my sunglasses?”

            “Told you. Vampire,” James said.

            “Yes, Cal. It has. Come on, I don’t want you to burst into flames.” Arthur hurried across the street and into the store.

            “I am not a vampire. Why is it so hot? Is the earth ending?”

            “Vampire,” James responded in a singsong voice.

            “SHUT UP!” Cal pushed James.

            James flew five feet and grunted in pain before laughing uncontrollably from the ground. “Vampire.”

            Cal ran over, faster than a normal man and picked James up.

            Arthur came back out of the store with Emily in tow.

            “Cal, stop! Put James down,” Emily said.

            Cal glared at Emily, his eyes bright spring green. “No.”

            Emily started into the street,  was stopped by Arthur don’t go to him, he’s obviously dangerous, shook Arthur off and walked slowly to Cal.

            “Emily, stop. It’s dangerous,” Arthur warned echoing his earlier thoughts.

            Emily put her hand out and hesitantly touched Cal’s shoulder.

            Cal tensed before relaxing.

            “Cal, put James down,” Emily said stepping closer putting her arm around Cal’s shoulders

            Cal tentatively put James down. He turned to Emily, fear clouding his eyes. “What’s wrong with me?”

            Emily smiled warmly. “Absolutely nothing.” She took the terrified billionaire into the store and into the room they had been in before.

            Arthur turned to James. “Why do you have to provoke so much?”

            “What? What did I do?”

            “What didn’t you do? Be nice to him. Something is apparently wrong with him. This is a difficult time.”

            “Difficult time? Difficult time? He was just magically healed, has more strength than a normal man, can run faster than a normal man and who knows what else? Oh and plus he’s still a bajillionaire. You call that a difficult time?”

            “Yes. Yes, I do. Now, come on. Let’s go find out what is wrong with Cal.”

            “There will never be enough time to discuss all that, but let’s go.” James said and the two walked in to find Cal.

            Emily had laid him on the couch and was massaging Cal’s back. “It’s okay, Cal. Everything is fine,” she whispered soothingly.

            James rolled his eyes. “Oh please.”

            Cal tensed up again until Emily murmured more soothing words into his ears. Emily turned and glared at James. Cal sat up and held onto Emily’s hand who sat down next to him. She turned to Arthur and James.

            “So, what seems to be the issue and what happened to Cal?”

            “We don’t know what to do about him and he… Sabrina…” Arthur trailed off.

            “What did that whore do?” Emily asked enraged.

            “She turned him into a vampire,” James said gleefully.

            “I’m not a vampire!” Cal said his voice rising in pitch.

            “I can determine that,” Emily said giving his hand a squeeze. “Did you burst into flame in the sun?”

            “No.”

            ‘Did you move faster than the blink of an eye?”

            “No.”

            “Can you smell my blood and do you have the insatiable urge to bite me?”

            “Yes and yet no,” Cal replied.

            “Then you are not a vampire. Probably only part vampire.” Emily smiled warmly and squeezed Cal’s hand again.

            “Part-vampire, huh? That’s hot,” James said.

            Cal rolled his eyes.

            “Well, what do we do now?” Arthur asked.

            “I think we should go back to my place just in case Sabrina come back to finish the job. It would be the last place she would look,” Emily replied and stood up.

            Cal nodded. “Sounds good.” He stood and took Emily’s hand. They walked out.

            “They do realize that as the last Cal girl before Sabrina, Emily’s house would be one of the first places I would look,” James said. “Don’t we get any say in this plan?”

            Arthur shrugged. “Maybe Sabrina doesn’t know that.” He walked out after Cal and Emily with James following looking worried.

Author's Note: I'll try and get up the next part on Halloween (!!!), but it may be later in the week... Sorry again about the wait.

Part 7

Today, I was sitting at my desk while my roommate was taking a nap. All of a sudden, she said very clearly in her sleep, "This will hurt. You will bleed." I am now very worried for my safety. - MLIA.

            At the hardware store, they purchased the most flexible, durable, strongest cable they could find. They bought 100 feet of it, just in case. It had silver plastic covering the metal. Cal and Arthur didn’t want to carry it so James was wearing it. He had it over one shoulder across his chest to his opposite hip.

            “I feel so… adventury,” he said.

            “Adventury? And you call yourself a journalist,” Cal admonished.

            “I prefer not to utilize copious expressions so monotonous citizens like yourself can comprehend.”

            Arthur snickered.

            “You do realize I went to THE most prestigious boarding school in America,” Cal reminded him.

            “That doesn’t mean you learned anything other than Sex Ed,” James replied and got into the SUV.

            Arthur started to follow James’s example, but he was stopped by Cal.

            “Where will we find her?”

            “We’ll find it where it made it’s nest. Your country mansion,” Arthur replied.

            “It is a she named Sabrina.”

            “No, it’s a monster and the sooner you get that through your head, the better off you’ll be.” Arthur got into the vehicle and was soon followed by Cal.

            The trio drove till the outskirts of town, the last houses passed behind them and Arthur slowed.

            “We should wait until nearly morning. They are probably weaker then.”

            “I don’t think dawn matters, just the sun itself. I mean, wasn’t Sabrina up during the day?”

            “Good point,” Arthur said. He looked at the car clock. “Its nearly six. What do you think we should do?”

            “Party,” James responded.

            “Where? The suburbs? I don’t think so. I say we sleep and wake near dawn. Then we won’t have to hold her as long,” Cal offered.

            “Also a good point. We’ve seen that it’s very strong and fast. We should catch it right before dawn.”

            “She’s usually in the observatory just before dawn. Sabrina used to like to watch the sunrise,” Cal said quietly.

            Arthur heaved a sigh. When was Cal going to get it through his head that the vampire was no longer Sabrina except in looks?

            “IT,” Arthur said with emphasis, “will be easily lured out with Cal as bait.”

            “Why would she-“ Cal started.

            “IT.” Arthur cut in.

            “Fine, excuse me. I’m sorry. IT-“ Cal said sarcastically. “Why would IT come after me?”

            “It likes to torture you. You were also the previous tenant of it’s nest,” James said lounging in the front.

            “How can you be so unsympathetic?” Cal said angrily.

            “Sabrina never meant anything to me. Never has and never will. Now that she’s an evil soulless vamp, I have no qualms about killing her.”

            Cal blanched, but only to the trained eye. “I suppose we should probably pull off the side of the road so as not to attract attention.”

            Way to change the subject, Arthur thought and pulled off the road. “What are we going to do now? It seems like we just got up. I’m not the least bit tired.”

            “I say we party. Find some people. Call my friends. See if they know anyone out here,” James suggested.

            “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. We don’t want to attract attention to ourselves. What do you think, Cal?” Arthur turned around.

            A soft snoring caressed his ears as Cal slept in the backseat. Arthur smiled to himself.

            “Maybe, we should take Cal’s advice. Let’s find a park or something to park the car,” Arthur said and started the car up again. He turned around and started to find the nearest park.

            James folded his arms. “I still think we should party.”

            Arthur found a park and pulled the SUV into a spot. Arthur turned the car off and got out.

            “What’re you doing?” James asked as he followed Arthur.

            Arthur opened the back door and took Cal out, gently so as not to wake him. “I’m trying to make a more comfortable bed for us.” He handed Cal over to James. “Hold him for a minute.”

            James took Cal with difficulty and held him close.

            Arthur laid the seats down and pulled out some blankets. He spread one blanket out on the bottom and set the others near the end. He popped open the trunk and finished spreading the blanket. Arthur took Cal back from James and laid him near the left side.

            James laid the wire down on the passenger seat and closed the door. He walked back and waited for Arthur.

            Arthur closed and locked the doors. He came back around to find Cal in the middle of the back. Arthur gave James a look.

            “What? I didn’t do anything!” James protested. “Even if I did, wouldn’t it be safer for him in the middle of us?”

            Arthur rolled his eyes. “Fine, but if I come back and find you doing things you shouldn’t be to him, there is going to be heck to pay.”

            James smiled and nodded.

            Arthur pointed at the tall man. “I’m serious.” He walked away.

            James ran after him. “Where you going?”

            Arthur turned around. “Back to that hunting story we passed a while ago. I was thinking that if the vampire gets rowdy we can shoot it with some tranquillizer.”

            “That’s a good idea. You might wanna get an elephant one though. We’ve seen how strong it is.”

            “I was planning on getting more than one kind just in case,” Arthur replied and turned around to walk away.

            “Arthur, be careful. We don’t know where Sabrina is.”

            Nodding, Arthur walked off into the night.

            James sighed and climbed into the back of the SUV with Cal. He closed the back and locked the doors. He covered Cal in one of the extra blankets and snuggled against the sleeping billionaire.

           

            It was nearing dawn when Cal woke up. He was very warm and felt slightly claustrophobic. He tried to wiggle his body, but found it pressed against a much larger one. Cal tried to push away only to find a body tangled around his. It was long and gangly. Cal pursed his lips, ground his teeth and thrashed his arms and legs out with all his might.

            “Ow!”

            “Ouch!”

            “Shit, Cal!”

            Cal stopped thrashing and laid still, panting with exertion.

            Arthur scooted away from Cal and James untangled himself.

            “What was that for?” Arthur asked massaging his shoulder.

            “I don’t particularly like to spoon with other guys,” Cal said sarcastically between gasped breaths.

            “Damn it! You could have woken us up a little softer,” James grumbled.

            “You’re just bitchy because you haven’t had your coffee,” Cal replied.

            James mocked Cal silently as Arthur sat up and unlocked the doors and got out. He started up the SUV as Cal grabbed a blanket and wrapped himself up in it.

            James got out, shut the back and walked to the passenger seat. “What’s the plan, Brownie?”

            Arthur looked at him. “What?”

            “What what?”

            “He wants to know why you called him Brownie,” Cal called out.

            “Oh.” James shrugged. “I don’t know. Felt like it.”

            Rolling his eyes, Arthur heard Cal chuckle from the back and handed James a nearly warm coffee.

            “Where did ya get this?”

            “When I bought the gun, I thought you might need it when you woke up,” Arthur answered and handed the tranquillizer gun to Cal.

            “What’s this for?” He asked still covered in a blanket.

            “In case the vampire gets too strong for us to hold, you can shoot it with a tranquillizer.” Arthur handed the darts back to Cal. “Put the biggest in first and so on down.”

            Cal nodded and put the darts in the gun. He sat up against the inside frame of the car holding the gun close. “What all are these supposed to take down?”

            “A dog, a buffalo and an elephant. But not in that order of course.”

            Cal nodded again the trio drove to Cal’s country mansion. The gate was locked—Arthur parked the car and they got out with James taking the wire with him.

            “How do we get in now?” James said, throwing up his hands.

            “This is my house. Don’t you think I would have more than one way in?” Cal hobbled around the side of the house.

            Arthur shrugged at James and followed Cal around to the side of the house.

            Cal was where the woods met the iron fence. He was trying to pull something out of a bush. It didn’t seem to be working very well and the billionaire fell to the ground exhausted.

            Arthur and James walked up.

            “What’re you doing, shorty?” James asked.

            “Reach your hand down there in that bush and pull the lever.”

            Arthur stuck his hand in and almost immediately felt cold steel. He was about to pull the lever when Cal spoke.

            “Oh yes and don’t mind the machete that chops your hand off once you pull the lever.”

            “What?!” Arthur, in his haste to remove his hand, pulled the lever. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain, but nothing happened.

            Cal chuckled as a nearby section of the fence sank into the ground. “Must have turned it off…” He hobbled over on to the grounds and headed toward the kitchen.

            “Conceited billionaire,” Arthur muttered under his breath.

            James grinned. “That’s pretty funny actually.”

            “No, it wasn’t. I like my hands,” Arthur looked at his hands in appreciation.

            Cal opened the kitchen door and turned the silent alarm off. He looked back at the slow moving Arthur and James. He took a deep breath and looked in the house. Cal tightened his grip on the gun and waited for the other two.

            “What’re you waiting for?” Arthur asked. “You’re the one who knows where the observatory is.”

            “I’d rather not get imprisoned in my basement again, if it’s all the same to you,” Cal retorted.

            “True dat,” James said and shrugged when the two looked at him. “Can’t I say that?”

            “No, you’re not black,” Cal said.

            “I believe they’re called African Americans.”

            “Shut up, Arthur.”

            “You shut up.”

            “I wasn’t talking to you, James.”

            ‘Well, I was talking to you.”

            “Shut up, James.”

            “Shut up both of you!” Arthur said and placed his hands on the bickering men’s shoulders. “Now, Cal, lead us to the observatory.”

            Cal nodded and led the way out of the kitchen down to the farthest end of the house. Arthur was once again taken back by the luxury and opulence of Cal’s mansion. It seemed the vampire hadn’t broken anything. The priceless paintings and ancient Chinese and Roman pottery stood intact. They came to the end of the hall facing a black door and Cal put a finger to his lips. He gently pushed open the door. It opened without a sound. The trio tip-toed inside, James taking the wire off his shoulder.

            Sabrina was laying half asleep on a chaise lounge upholstered in red and black velvet. She was reflected a million times in the mirrors that were mounted on all of the walls. The lightening sky came down from the glass dome ceiling, the last rays of darkness clinging to Sabrina’s flushed skin. Her skin was the color of a blushing apple. Arthur could almost see the blood rushing through her veins. Probably just came back from gorging herself on some poor person… Or more likely people.

            The trio hid in the surrounding plants as Sabrina sat up. She stretched and stood.

            James looked at Arthur who nodded. They crept up to the dazed vampire and threw the wire around her pulling it tight.

            Sabrina screamed and thrashed. The wires held tight. She started running, dragging the men with her out through one of the mirrors into the crisp morning air.

            As the glass shattered over him, Arthur yelled back at Cal, “SHOOT HER! SHOOT HER!”

            Cal took aim and shot Sabrina with the elephant dart. The vampire slowed and stopped, panting.

            Arthur and James quickly locked the wires around two ancient oak trees.

            Cal walked to one side of Sabrina with Arthur and James on the other side.

            The vampire shook her head. She looked blearily at the three guys around her until she focused on Cal and the gun. She glowered at him. “What are you going to do? Embrace me, excite me, kiss me, destroy me?”

            Cal looked away.

            “If he needs to,” Arthur responded. “But I think the sun is going to do that for him.”

            James smirked. “I always knew you would die. You just had this aura around you. Kinda good, mostly evil, all death.”

            “James, shut the—” Sabrina retorted.

            Cal muttered something.

            “Excuse me,” Sabrina said. “Did you say something?”

            “I’m sorry.” Cal looked at Sabrina, tears in his eyes.

            The sun started to come up over the mountain line. The sky started to turn pink. Sabrina started to struggle again. She turned to Arthur.

            “Arthur, darling, haven’t we been friends forever. Haven’t I been with you through thick and thin?”

            Arthur pointedly ignored her.

            “Arthur, please, this is me. This is Sabrina. Would you really let me die? Didn’t you fight Cal for me?”

            More silence.

            Sabrina looked to James, shook her head and turned to Cal. “Cal, pet, my lovely little Nero. Do you remember our first night together? That night in the observatory under the stars? The day when you refused to let your butler mend my leg and did it yourself? The day you fought Arthur and James for me to stay with you? Our trip to Italy and how we missed most of our trip because we didn’t leave the room for a week?”

            Cal’s hands tightened in his tranquilizer gun.

            “Remember that night when we were completely worn out, but you kissed me and told me you loved me before you rolled over and fell asleep?” As Sabrina finished speaking, a ray of sunlight touched her face. She screamed and started smoking. “Cal! Help me!”

 Author's Note: Sorry, been so long. You get two parts this time. The next will be up shortly. Also, I didn't actually go through this part before I posted it, so there might be errors and crap in there... sorry...