Page 40 of Last Hope
He had taken it to a different location, to test it out on even more humans and to test its range. So far the venomous vapor could spread across an entire football field and successfully change each subject.
He turned abruptly to one of his men. “I believe,” he said slowly. “It’s time we put my device to good use and finally grant our Master’s dying wish.” The man nodded with a smile on his face. “I think it’s time to use it on the general populace.”
22
“So far we’ve got no new leads on Azizi’s whereabouts. Nothing has happened around the station except that Terrance is up day and night, with minimal amount of sleep, cracking his skull against all of the files as if that will help speed things up.”
Victoria Phillipe sat by Savvy’s bedside. There had been no response from him at all in all the times she had gone to visit him. The doctor said if she talked to him, maybe he would wake up or react or do…something. But so far he had been as motionless as a statue.
His small body was still wrapped tightly in gauze. Tubes protruded from his mouth and nose, the machines beside him beeping infernally drove her to the edge of crazy. But she visited him every day, before and after work, hoping for something in him to change.
“There was a fire set in the Santiago mansion. Of course, we know it was most likely Azizi and Caesareon’s minions trying to find Isis and cause chaos.” It felt like talking to a brick wall. Savvy’s usual quirky presence that filled the air around her was completely gone. Victoria held back her tears and went on. “What I don’t understand, though, is how Azizi can be hunting his own sister, if he even knows he’s hunting her, if he’s even the one doing the hunting. Terrance and I believe he’s behind it all and if he is how can he be so ignorant to the fact Isis is out there and that she’s the one he’s trying to kill.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “It’s all too complicated.” She ran a hand through the knots in her blonde curls then leaned forward again, gripping his gauze covered hand. “I wish you would wake up, Savvy. Please, come back to me.”
* * *
Terrance Crawford staredat the files for what felt like the millionth time. He was trying to find a pattern, a code, a signature,somethingthat could clue him in on Azizi’s whereabouts. He had sworn an oath over Savvy’s injured body that he would stop at nothing to avenge him. But it was proving more difficult than he thought.
All he had so far were pictures of victims that had been changed against their will at the Rotten Banana by Caesareon, months ago. He had photos of needles, vampire venom and whatever else they were able to salvage from V.S.L.; there were little metal parts and gears to machines and he hadn’t the slightest idea as to what it could mean.
“Crawford, you need a break.”
Terrance looked up to find Teddy staring at him intently.
“I think I’ll stay,” he muttered and went back to staring at the photos.
“Son, staring at the pictures for four hours straight isn’t gonna get us any closer to solving this case. Go home, get some rest, come back tomorrow.”
Terrance merely shook his head.
Teddy scowled at him. “Do I need to go get me one of them needles and inject you with a sleeping serum? Cause I will if I have to.”
Terrance shot the older man a look. He was as big as a bear with a beard and chest hair and hands as big as Terrance’s face but he had kind eyes and an even kinder smile. He may have looked harmless but Terrance could sense the truth behind his words. He really wanted him to go home and rest. But he didn’t understand why Terrance couldn’t do that. He didn’t understand the weight of his promise.
“Go home, Crawford. That’s an order or I really will inject you.”
Inject you.
Why take the time to inject people with vampire venom at the mall instead of just biting them yourself? It would have gotten you your army faster…unless…
Terrance stood abruptly from his seat, causing it to slide backwards creating a loud scraping noise across the room. Teddy raised his eyebrows at him but Terrance ignored it. “What if they were only using needles in the Rotten Banana as an experiment to see if it would actually work? What if it was a test run on their product?”
Teddy looked at him with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. “I guess that’s possible. But it still doesn’t give us an answer as to why he would need venom in flasks and needles when he could just turn them himself. It would have been faster.” He echoed Terrance’s earlier thought.
“What if it isn’t faster?”
Teddy stared at him quizzically. “What do you mean? I’m sure it’s faster to bite instead of whipping out a needle out of your pocket and injecting your victims with it.”
“Both ways are too slow.”
Teddy stared at him even more quizzically now.
“What I mean is, what if it was just a test run to see if venom in needles worked? What if there’s a second phase to the experiment that will inject the victims faster?”
Teddy shrugged. “Why would he want to inject his victims faster?”
“If he wants a fast and quick army of vampires to go against human armies then maybe he’ll need faster working venom.”
His boss considered this for a moment, rubbing a hand across his face. “Maybe that’s what it’s for then. Venom in needles to create the world’s biggest vampire army at one time. But the question is…how does he plan on infecting the population with vampire venom? Shooting needles out of machine guns?”
