Un2Dead (Book One of the Un2Series)

The cell floor reminded Reese of what a flash cube looked like when opened and laid flat. A single light bulb cradled within a mirrored bowl filled each square of the two-inch grid that started at the glass wall at the front of the room and extended to the remaining three brick walls that surrounded her. The furniture was sparse, stylish, and bolted to the floor. A long, low sofa served as a place to sit and sleep. A touch screen coffee table provided every type of entertainment a prisoner could want except internet access and local programming. Besides the glow from the table top the only lighting in the room came from the floor. A square comprised of nine grid tiles illuminated each corner of the room. Shafts of light rose from each tile connecting to a ceiling tile directly above it. Reese was able to control how bright these columns were by a touch point on the table. She had set them as low as they could go but still found them to be too bright. Something about them made her uneasy. The cell also provided its occupant with a shower stall and toilet located behind a textured glass modesty panel. Reese found little comfort in the limited privacy the panel provided. The mere existence of the panel suggested she was under some form of surveillance.

Reese scanned through the media playing on the table top once again in an attempt to find something that could tell her where she was. Sorting through the programs provided minimal, if any, information. Her captor had placed an extensive video library at her fingertips. She opted to play episodes of a cartoon that Sunny and Wit watched when Sunny was a toddler. The show used to drive Reese crazy. Hearing it now made her feel as if her family was nearby. It calmed her and allowed her to think clearly. She kept track of how many episodes had played so she had an idea of how long she had been held captive. At least two days had passed. Two days without feeding or sleeping. Two days of solid worrying about Sunny.

Reese ran the events of the past few days through her head one more time. She and Sunny said their goodbyes to Wit just after sundown. She urged Wit to behave himself which meant for him to stay on his diet. She could tell he had plans to the contrary by the way he wouldn’t make eye contact with her when he promised he would. The drive to the airport was uneventful. Airport security was the usual level of annoyance. The pretty blonde TSA agent pulled both her and Sunny to the side to have their carry-ons ransacked and wiped down. They stuffed their belongings back into their cases and headed to the gate. Reese took a seat along the windows so she could watch the planes take off. She remembered thinking how tired she felt and how good it would feel to sleep on the plane. She glanced over at the already snoozing Sunny and found the weight of her eyelids made them too heavy to hold open. The next thing she could remember is waking up on the couch she now occupied.

Reese raised her legs so that they lay across the table. She spread them into a “V” and reached forward grabbing one foot near the ankle. She closed her eyes and leaned forward until her forehead rested on the table top. It felt cool, hard, and surprisingly refreshing. She rocked herself slightly causing her head to lightly bounce against the surface. She brought herself back to a seated position and reached for the other foot. As her head touched the table top the wisecracking animated baby on the screen fell silent beneath her forehead. The screen blipped a flash of white then went black. Reese jumped to her feet and distanced herself from the table. Large white text began to scroll up from the bottom of the screen.

“Good Morning, Reese.” slowly rose to the middle of the screen. Reese stood silently gazing at the monitor. The shriek of an air horn pierced Reese’s ears, startling her and making her cover her ears with her hands. The screen went black once more.

“Good Morning, Reese“ rose to the middle of the screen in much bolder letters.

“Good Morning,” Reese replied.

“That’s better,” the screen countered. “How are you feeling today?”

“I am just peachy. Thanks for asking. Where’s my daughter? Why have you taken us?”

“I trust you are finding your accommodations to be comfortable.”

“Yep. Nicest prison cell I’ve ever been held captive in.” Reese said with a false politeness in her tone.

A graphic of the classic yellow smiley face appeared on the screen. The smile flipped over to create a frown.

“Oooo, did I hurt the wittle dungeon master’s feewings?” Reese mocked.

The cell echoed with another blast from the air horn. “Be Nice!” appeared on the screen.

“I’m sorry. You’ll have to excuse me. I haven’t slept or eaten anything for a couple of days. I might be just a little bit cranky.” Reese apologized with a pinch of frustration sprinkled over her voice.

“Please, take a seat. Relax.”

A spot on the sofa was briefly illuminated buy a beam of light from above. Reese hesitantly took a seat.

“How about some breakfast?” the screen suggested.

“No. Thank you. I’m on a really strict diet. Could you please tell me what you have done with my daughter?”

“You will see her in due time. First you will have some breakfast. You need to keep up your strength.”

An oval tray covered with a silver cloche slid out from beneath the sofa. Reese glanced down to see a funhouse reflection of herself on the mirror-like surface.

“No. Really, I can’t.”

“Sure you can, especially if you want to see your daughter.”

Reese’s need to see Sunny far outweighed the consequences of trying to swallow solid food. She lifted the tray from the floor and placed it off to one side of the table top. Feeling as if she were a contestant on one of those self-humiliation game shows she took hold of the knob atop the domed lid and readied herself to reveal the horror she would have to ingest. Having to eat something as basic as buttered toast would have her hunched over the toilet all morning. Reese slowly raised the lid and set it back down across the table. From the center of a ring of lettuce her breakfast looked back at her and wiggled its nose. A small brown rabbit, its neck freshly shaved, hopped off of the tray and onto the table top.

“Shit. They know I’m a vampire.” Reese closed her eyes.

A smiley face appeared on the screen, winked, and disappeared leaving the screen blank.

Reese was not crazy about feeding on rabbits. It reminded her of Wit’s first experience with feeding and it made her queasy. She also learned to feed on rabbits but avoided Wit’s mistakes allowing her to move past small furry forest creatures and on to human prey fairly quick. At least the rabbit was vegan.

Reese scooped the bunny from the table top and cradled it close to her chest. She stroked its head, and then turned it to face her.

“Don’t you fret, little one, you won’t feel a thing.” Reese focused her gaze into the rabbit’s eyes. Within seconds the creature’s heart rated slowed and its breathing became barely noticeable. Reese raised her breakfast to her mouth and dropped her fangs. She pierced the exposed flesh on the neck and drank. Her mouth filled with the taste of clover and alfalfa.

“Not bad,” she thought, “and free-range to boot.”

Reese drank as much blood as she felt she could safely take from the rabbit without killing it. She set it down beside her and stroked its head until it fell asleep. She watched its little chest rise and fall as its legs twitched as if it were dreaming of frolicking through a bucolic landscape. She closed her eyes and pictured herself frolicking alongside her breakfast in the warmth of the sun.

A distant laughter roused Reese from her sleep. The wisecracking baby was up to its antics on the screen in front of her. Reese looked down to see that her furry friend was no longer beside her. She couldn’t tell whether she had slept for minutes or hours. Looking back to the screen Reese watched the baby reach into his diaper and remove a screwdriver he often used to free himself from his playpen. He wobbled a bit as he exited his enclosure, steadied himself and toddled toward the television viewing audience.

Reese watched as he moved closer. He squatted then slowly dropped back onto his oversized diaper. He sat staring forward. He reached forward and tapped the screen with his screwdriver.

“Hello, Reese. Did you have a good nap?” The baby said, looking directly at her.

Reese twitched, startled. She composed herself and replied.

“I do feel rested. That is, of course, if I am actually awake and not dreaming.”

“I assure you that you are indeed awake. I have chosen to speak to you through the rug rat because I really suck at typing and I have much to discuss with you.”

“What makes you so certain that I am willing to discuss anything with you?”

“Sunny.”

A sour tingle washed over Reese.

“Okay. What do you want to talk about?” Reese pulled her legs up onto the sofa and crossed them in front of her.

“You have something I need. Denying me is not an option. If I could simply take it from you, I would. As it turns out you need to give it to me willingly or it doesn’t work.”

“This thing I possess, did you ever consider asking me for it? I am a reasonable person.”

“I am asking you for it right now. Holding on to Sunny guarantees you will say ‘yes’.”

Reese shifted uncomfortably, uncrossing then re-crossing her legs.

“Well, what do you need from me? Can we get to the core of this issue? Whatever it is, consider it yours. “Reese swept her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

“I need to milk you.”

“You need to milk . . . what kind of pervert are you?” Reese was gobsmacked.

“You misunderstand. I need to milk you as one would milk a cobra. I need your venom. I need the fluid you excrete when you turn someone.” The baby said in a very calming yet somewhat embarrassed tone.

“Albeit less perverted, I don’t think I can help you. I mean, I don’t know if I can help you. I have never turned anyone. I don’t know if I am even capable.”

The infant pondered the new information, scratching his head with his screwdriver. He rose to his feet and paced back and forth across the screen. He turned and addressed Reese.

“It is unfortunate that you have doubt about your ability to provide me with what I require. I have the utmost faith that you will do what is necessary to secure the release of your daughter.”

The screen snapped to black. The lights in the cell followed suit. Reese sat staring blankly into the darkness.