#the latter of which feels shallow and disrespectful to associate with the former

[transmechanicus]

How to remove the words seratonin, dopamine, and oxytocin from the minds of people who take psych advice from unlicensed tiktokers. Bonus points if it takes the tattoos they got of the molecules bc they’re scientifically illiterate and think a chemical structure adds legitimacy to their pseudoscience.

[lexiseigneur]

Chapter sixteen: First bite

Lexi woke up starving. Her stomach grumbled and her throat was scorched as if she had swallowed battery acid. The violence of those sensations was shocking. She went to the bathroom and drank directly from the tap in a desperate attempt at calming the fire. It did nothing beside frustrate her. Downstairs, the men moved and chatted and the beating of each of their hearts was torture. Quinlan had been pulled from his slumber by her distress spilling inside the Bond.

“Lexi, please stay here. I do not believe it is safe for you to be around them at this moment.”

His hands caressed her shoulders and she looked up at his reflection in the dirty mirror.

“How am I going to be of any use today? I don’t even think I could run right now.”

“I will ask Augustin for help. We will not require much. Just enough for us to infiltrate the building and after that, the problem will solve itself.”

Lexi reached for two memories to share. In the first recollection, a drop of blood appeared on her hand and in the second another drop rolled from her mouth. Then as she gave them to him she apologized for making him suffer that way.

“I will accept your apology for the first, but the second one I amply deserved.”

Quinlan kissed her temple then dressed quickly and left the bedroom. Lexi followed his footsteps and his words anxiously.

“Mister Elizalde, a word?” he asked.

“Sure.”

Both walked to the space just under the staircase.

“An issue has arisen which will need to be resolved before our departure.”

“What’s going on?”

“Lexi requires sustenance or her abilities will become significantly diminished.”

More footsteps and Gus sighed.

“She was fine last night with that little demonstration.”

“Unfortunately, this, in addition to several days of undernourishment, are the cause of this issue.”

Lexi felt like a complete idiot. Dhampir speed was taxing and she should have saved her strength. Inexperience in these matters was obviously a problem.

“How much?”

“Ideally a pint but half of that amount would suffice.”

“OK, at least that’s not much. Good thing she ain’t as big as you are, Quinlan.”

“We will secure larger amounts as we retake your building.”

Gus’ heartbeat accelerated slightly which was incredibly distracting.

“Well, sucks to be them.”

There was a moment of silence then Gus spoke again.

“Let me handle that. Maybe some of them will understand.”

The Sun Hunter walked to his gathered men.

“Alright, guys! I need volunteers for something you ain’t gonna like!”

“Shoot!” replied an unfamiliar voice.

“The lady won’t be able to fight without some blood first.”

A tense silence fell on the room.

“I also prefer my blood inside my body but I don’t mind giving up some if it means Creem ends up losing all of his.”

Some of the men chuckled at that remark.

“I’m in, couz’,” said Raul.

“My man!” said Gus there was a slapping sound. He had tapped his cousin on the back.

“Me too.”

This voice Lexi recognized as well. It was the man she had threatened with her machete. Intrigued by this, she approached the bedroom door to listen more closely.

“You sure, Gordo?”

“Yeah. I’m kinda scared she might decide to just drink me completely otherwise. Cause I was dick.”

Lexi laughed out loud and in the general silence, her voice echoed through the building. That irritated her throat further and she made a wry face.

“Fuck, she heard me,” said Gordo.

There was a cacophony of laughter. More unknown voices agreed to donate blood.

“I will show them some of the medical equipment the doctor had here.”

“Thank you.”

“Beloved…I think you solved the matter yourself.”

Lexi relaxed and stopped focusing on the sounds below. Instead, she distracted herself by taking the honing stone from the metal trunk and working on her machete. It did not take as long as she had hoped. She returned to the bathroom and begun tying her hair into a tight French braid. It was challenging and managed to take some of her concentration away from the fire in her neck. Her ears and the jewelry adorning them became particularly obvious. The shallow swirls on her throat were merely light pink, a visual reminder of her thirst. Heavy footsteps approached. Lexi sighed in relief. Quinlan entered the bedroom with a bottle tucked under his arm while also holding a plate covered with food. He closed the door behind him then suspended his gesture when he saw her.

“Are you alright?” she asked and crossed the room.

“You look…stunning.”

She accepted the compliment with a smile and despite herself started purring. It hurt. The rumbling stopped immediately.

“Here… Augustin insisted on you getting human food as well.”

Lexi downed the bottle of blood in seconds. The thirst subsided and a wave of warmth originating from her throat traversed her entire body. Quinlan’s reaction to drinking her donation the night they had met suddenly appeared mild.

“Maybe I can take that downstairs and thank them before I eat?”

“Yes…your thirst seems under control for the moment.”

They joined the group of men who were still eating at the glass table.

“You good?” asked Gus.

“Yes, thank you all. Truly.”

There were nods and dismissive waves of hands. Barely suppressing a smile she turned to the one named Gordo.

“Especially you.”

“You’re welcome!” he said with a chuckle then scooted over so she could sit next to him. Both she and Quinlan sat down at the table. The dish they shared was composed of stale tortillas and canned beans.

“We only know three of your names,” she said after swallowing a bite.

The men introduced themselves rapidly. Next to Gordo was Amir, the youngest by far and the one sporting a large scar from the top left of his forehead to his right cheek. Then Jorge and Marcus were both dark-skinned men and the latter had a thick accent she could not place. The other four men were all Hispanic and looked surprisingly similar. Julio, Arturo, Antonio, and Miguel were in fact brothers and that fact moved her strangely. After the Fall, she was surprised that so many members of the same family had remained alive. They chatted between themselves until Amir who had glanced at her the entire time finally spoke.

“Hey, huh, Lexi?”

“Yes, Amir?”

“How come your hair is two colors?”

Quinlan stared at him with a faint scowl. Amir shifted his position so that Gordo’s large frame would shield him from that gaze.

“Why are you scaring that poor man?” she asked him through the Bond.

The Dhampir stopped staring and looked at her instead.

“Why should he have any interest in your physical attributes?”

“Because humans are very curious. I know I certainly was about you.”

Quinlan rattled softly and she could still feel his irritation. Lexi shook her head and turned to the young man.

“Well, it changes colors with the seasons. In summer, it turns red.”

“Really?”

Amir leaned forward and looked avidly at the strands.

“No, it’s dye.”

Gordo who had been listening to the exchange snorted then almost choked on a mouthful of tortilla. Quinlan hid a grin under his hand. The others taunted the youngest for his gullibility and he took it in graceful self-derision.

After the meal, they prepared for the assault ahead. They left for Manhattan and during the entire ride, Lexi braced herself for what was to come.

 Climbing the brick wall of the building was trivial. The crevices afforded them enough purchase to reach the top in under a minute. As described by Gus, the door on the roof was locked but not guarded. The couple stepped from the burning sun into the equally painful violet of UV lamps. The entire staircase leading to the top floor was flooded in their glow. At the first door, they stopped and listened. Fifteen hearts beat within the bowels of the building below.

“They are all gathered downstairs, unfortunately. We will have to disable most before feeding.”

“Swords or guns?”

“Hands preferably. I would rather avoid having to force Augustin’s men to clean the blood of their former associates.”

“That’s rather thoughtful of you.”

It was not the time for displays of affection but it was tempting nonetheless.

“You appreciate those men. So I would prefer not to antagonize them more than strictly necessary.”

“Thank you. Shall we?”

“We shall.”

They entered a large loft almost empty because most of its contents had been thrown into a corner without care. Lexi frowned when she spotted on the floor a framed picture of Gus with an older woman. The glass was cracked.

“Such disrespect,” she said and removed her hood and glasses.

Quinlan and Lexi blurred downstairs into a common area where the men had gathered to play cards and video games. In a second, they assessed the situation. One was behind a counter at the farthest point, pouring himself a drink. His teeth shone silver. Lexi’s lips lifted savagely. A large automatic weapon was propped in front of the only uncovered window and there, a man peered outside while smoking.

“The one at the window needs to go first. The buzzer is next to him. Then, there are more men at the table so I will deal with them.”

“Alright, I’ll get the ones around the TV.”

Only now did one man spot them but it was too late. They flew, slowing down as they snapped and twisted the necks of their targets. She had killed three of them when the back of her throat tickled. She still had three more to go. The next jumped to his feet as she came to him and punched him in the plexus, collapsing the bone into his heart. Her throat was burning again.

The next one was reaching for the weapon on his side and she smacked him on the temple. He hit the floor, dead. That last target was aiming his weapon at her and she growled loudly. The crack of gunfire echoed in the large open space. He missed but only by a hair. She was already struggling to maintain her speed and her throat and body were afire.

“Drink him,” said Quinlan.

But she had already decided before his voice boomed in her mind. Lexi jumped on the man and broke the wrist holding the gun. Then as he fell on his back, she straddled his chest and opened her mouth. The green eyes stared in horror as her tongue parted and covered each of cheeks. Disgusted by what she was about to do, she covered his upper face with her gloved hand. She could not take his life while he watched.

Her stinger clasped around the exposed neck. His uninjured hand was attempting to pry the appendage off. Firmly, she pinned it down. Bones snapped under her grip. The precision muscles inside her stinger worked and soon, she felt the need to spit. The sensation was familiar because she had lived it through Quinlan. She pushed and the sharp bone pierced the skin and the wall of an artery. Blood poured and she drank deeply, pumping with each heartbeat. The relief that action provided did not attenuate her guilt and horror. Tears fell on the paling face of her victim. His entire body contracted and the heart stopped.

The blood flow was cut and she instantly sprang away from the corpse, lest she be tempted to look at her victim’s face. Quinlan was drinking as well and by the color of his prey’s skin, it had just started.

There was just one man left standing. Lexi watched him rise from behind the bar in panic. He pointed a shotgun at Quinlan and fired. The shot hit Quinlan’s victim in the back as he used the body as a shield. Lexi’s roar sounded just as Creem aimed again. This was one was trying to hurt Quinlan. To kill him. The edges of her vision darkened leaving only the prey highlighted. Now, as clearly as if they had been painted on him, she could see the major blood vessels coursing through his body. Faster than she had ever moved, she closed the distance between her and Creem. He was still aiming when she stood above him on the bar. Lexi grabbed the shotgun and threw it across the room. This would not hurt her Quinlan. Her dearest one.

Lexi was furious at this despicable human both for his attempted murder and for betraying the Sun Hunter. The gloved fingers closed around his throat. Fresh blood gave her strength a new impetus. She lifted him above her head. The dark eyes bulged and his hands scratched and punched her hand and wrist. Silver jewelry around his digits burned her skin but not enough to make her stop. The small stinger flew without her making a conscious effort to direct it. It closed at the junction between Creem’s stretched neck and shoulder. Blood gushed down her throat and this time, she did not care if the dying eyes stared. But the man was still moving too much and the seal of the appendage leaked. Blood dripped along the thin skin of the stinger and onto her chin. His dark skin turned ashen and his struggle ceased. She drank until he convulsed and his heart gave out. With a howl, Lexi tossed his body which rolled at Quinlan’s feet. His blue eyes were wide and his jaw hung open. There was still a filter of rage above her eyes which tainted everything grey. She resented the way he looked at her at this very moment, and instinctively uncovered her sharp teeth. Quinlan returned the snarl and she was surprised to see enjoyment in his eyes.

“Lexi.”

He purred then jumped on the counter. The aggressive rumbling in her chest only subsided when his forehead pressed against hers. Downstairs, there was the metallic clank of a heavy door opening. Quinlan had already buzzed the men in. His skin against hers allayed her rage and her vision normalized when her companion pulled her closer.

“How I wish we could remain alone for just a moment longer.”

He shared his desire with that thought. She gawked in bemusement. That same lust was plain on his face and it was contagious. As she considered kissing him, the men entered the room. All had drawn their weapons but quickly realized it had been pointless.

“Well…shit,” said the Sun Hunter.

His armed hand fell and he peered around, his gaze stopping on each dead face. His lips disappeared into a fine line when he spotted Creem.

“But…we dropped them off like five minutes ago,” said Amir and he looked at his companions as if they would confirm that this scene was an illusion of some kind.

“Let’s help them clean up,” Lexi shared to distract from her frustration.

“Later…” replied Quinlan. He placed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

She repressed a smile and jumped off the counter. Amir took a step back when she approached. She stopped in her tracks. The young man had not been scared this morning.

“Huh, you’ve got some…something on…” He pointed at his own chin.

Lexi rubbed her face and looked at her fingers. Her glove was stained with blood. Then she also noticed that the thick liquid had run down her throat and onto her black shirt. The realization that she appeared like a monster was mortifying. Gordo handed her a blue handkerchief. She thanked him and stared at her feet while she cleaned herself as well as she could.

“You can keep it,” he said and promptly walked off.

“They must think I am a beast.”

She turned away as the group dragged the corpses to the service elevator. Gus was not helping them. He had gone straight for a phone behind the counter. Landlines were still active in the city and since cellphones were now useless, they had become the main mode of communication.

“Some of them probably do but I have met humans who could look past their fear.”

The Dhampir approached her, his traits softened by compassion.

“As you did,” he added.

“It’s stupid of me to care. We need them but that doesn’t mean they have to like me.”

Quinlan licked his thumb and wiped the corner of her mouth.

“They would be fools not to like you.”

From across the room, Arturo hailed the couple.

“Hey! How about you two help us with that?”

Raul who was struggling to carry a dead man by his lonesome nodded in approval.

“I do not think this one is much afraid. Or he would not have dared order us this way.”

Quinlan’s brow lifted and he glared. Lexi took over Raul’s burden. First, they had treated her as a frail counterpart to Quinlan and that had displeased her. But now, at the complete opposite of that spectrum, she felt just as uncomfortable. At least, she would not have to contend with that issue for very long. She pinched the base of her nose at that distasteful thought.

Gus spent most of the daylight hours on the phone while the men cleaned and assessed the status of their merchandise. In the underground level, not unlike employees of a supermarket, they counted food cans, pill bottles and a range of other items. The two Dhampir helped where they could, mostly when their inhuman strength was needed. Arturo disappeared inside a vaulted room and emerged after twenty minutes, ticking things off his notepad.

“Everyone! We’ve got the numbers! Let’s head back up and see how Gus is doing,” he said and the various conversations around quieted after the first word. They all followed and when the Sun Hunter spotted them, he raised two fingers. They waited until Gus put an end to the phone call. Humans and Dhampir sat around the table where playing cards were still spilled.

“How much did the fools waste down there?” asked Gus gravely.

“Not as much as I thought, foodwise,” said Raul and he handed a notepad to his cousin.

The dark eyes went through the numbers and he nodded. His eyes narrowed and he turned to Arturo.

“What about the vault?”

“It ain’t good.”

Awkward silence fell. Gus sighed and took the papers handed to him.

“The vault contains our silver and weapons,” commented Gus for the sake of his guests. “And it looks like those dicks had a few shopping sprees.”

He slammed the pad on the table.

“They spent a fifth of the silver. In two fucking weeks. The assholes.”

Gus put his elbows on the table and crossed his fingers tightly. He stared at the people gathered above his hands.

“Creem tried to stiff my suppliers and my clients. Since we had a monopoly in here, he could do it but that’s short term thinking. The only kind he knew.”

A vicious smile stretched his lips.

“So you guys can imagine how fucking happy they were that I was back in charge. And with me, the original prices.”

There was a wave of chuckles.

“Ok guys, no time for jerking around. There are deliveries that need to be honored. The list is by the phone. Gordo, you take care of that…”

Promptly, Gordo stood and walked to the bar.

“Amir, you’re on guard duty for now.”

The young man sprang to his feet and went to sit by the window. Gus pointed at two other men.

“Raul, Arturo, you stay here cause we need to talk. The rest go help Gordo.”

Soon, only the two Dhampir and the three men sat at the vast round table. Until this very moment, Lexi had felt very much like an outsider but now, it seemed that they were about to be clued in.

“After the city got nuked, I raided the federal reserves. With all that silver I started this little business.”

He raised his arms in a gesture that encompassed the room.

“But I don’t give much of a shit about all this. I just needed time. With my guys, for a year, we managed to get eyes all over the place. We were gonna find that creepy bastard, the Master, and riddle his ass with silver bullets.”

Lexi grinned at his confidence.

“He never stopped hoping,” she said.

“It would have been an honorable death.”

Quinlan was correct, their plan would have been a hail-mary destined to fail.

“Until a rumor started that some guy had killed an entire nest of bloodsuckers all by himself with a bone sword." 

He shook his finger toward the Dhampir. 

"It could only be you and I needed you in the game."

"He has a lot of faith in you,"  said Lexi with pride. Quinlan's hand reached for hers under the table. 

"But now there are two of you? The Master is so dead."

"In both of us," said Quinlan. 

"We're gonna start making the bullets and some of those nasty silver grenades I've seen before the Fall." 

He turned to Arturo.

"That's your job, man. When the others aren’t busy with the deliveries, grab 'em so they can help."

Then to his cousin. 

"You're gonna assist Lexi and make fucking sure those brain machines don't crap out on us."

Raul threw a careful look at the Dhampir then nodded. 

"How does that even work?" said a skeptical Arturo. 

His brow was wrinkled by a permanent scowl and his hair was mostly grey. He was the oldest human present.

"It's like taking a microphone and screaming in it while two people are talking. The brains transmit an intense signal and prevent Strigoi from receiving orders from the Master."

The old man was still unconvinced but his opinion on the matter was not particularly important.

"Our first test with the current devices was a success. The Strigoi freeze, like puppets whose strings have been cut. I have seen its effects on the Master as well. It weakens him," chimed in Quinlan. 

“I will need more brains to build additional devices.”

"How many more brains are you gonna need?" asked Gus.

"As many as we can get," she said.

For their plan to work they would need to cover a vast surface with that jamming signal. Otherwise, it would be trivial for the Master to just rush to the humans and destroy the machines.

"Quinlan, you're with me. We need to arrange everything that's gonna happen after you get the worm.”

Lexi expected to feel irritation from her companion at being ordered that way. It did not come. The Dhampir was relieved and also somber.

"His help will make our victory extremely swift."

Relief at seeing the end of his mission so near and sadness at knowing that their time together was going to end just as quickly. She knew those were his reasons because she felt the same. Lexi looked away from the humans.

"It will still take time to build the devices and the silver arsenal. Every second we do not spend working, we will be together. They need to sleep more than we do and this time will be ours," she said.

Their gaze met. How she loved that face. The impossibly clear blue eyes, the deep green and black of his stripes. She even liked that scar across his cheek. Her eyes were burning as she fought back tears. How very unfair. How very cruel this all was. 

"What's up with you two?" asked Gus and he waved impatiently.

"Tell him. I can't," she said.

Quinlan detached his eyes from hers and his face kept its usual composure. 

"If our plan succeeds, we will both die with the Master. We are connected to him."

The three men stared and even the stern Arturo appeared surprised. 

"Then why are you doing this?" asked Raul. 

"Because we will never find peace while he lives."

Gus and Arturo exchanged heavy looks.

"Yeah. I get that," said the Sun Hunter.

They all did. Not a single free soul on the planet would find true peace as long as the beast was there to crush them.