Vampyre 2000: No Rest for the Wicked: Book Iii

© 2013 By Christopher F. Benson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 1/4/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4817-0121-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-0120-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-0119-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012924154

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Foreword:

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

Chapter IX

Chapter X

Chapter XI

Chapter XII

Chapter XIII

SPECIAL THANKS:

To all of the many fans, from all over the world, who eagerly and patiently awaited the release of Book Three.

Also, to those who endured my absence, both mentally and physically, during the writing process of this book.

Idaho Falls Public Library

Asus Transformer 300 Tablet

FOREWORD:

Since I first began to write Vampyre 2000: Life to the Lifeless, it has appeared on a variety of things in many different formats: press releases, brochures, post cards, business cards, websites, emails and television. Out of the many people that have been exposed to the book, in one form or another, there has only been a few who have pronounced the title correctly; television reporters. And that is only because I asked them to. Some of you may already know what the title represents, but for those of you that do not, it would be my pleasure to explain it once again.

The title is a union between something old and traditional and something new and contemporary. To me, the word vampyre is a more Old World, Eastern European way to say vampire. It is pronounced vawm-peer. The number 2000 is not a year and isn’t meant to be taken so literally, as some may have thought. More so, it symbolizes the twenty-first century. In other words, something here and now. That was one of the original ideas for the book, how an early nineteenth century vampire would exist now and today.

Cornelius is a vampire and Rita is a vampiress. In the very same way that a man and woman are both human, a vampire and a vampiress are both vampyre. It is the species that they belong to.

Chapter I

WHAT IS THE REWARD for a hard day’s work? For many, the reward is a simple one; a paycheck. Understanding that, in return for services that they rendered for someone else, appreciation will be shown by giving them monetary compensation. For some, it may be as simple as a thank you. On the other hand, there are those that need no recognition, no compensation and no thanks given at all for the time and effort that they have provided. Is it the reflection at the end of the day on what has been accomplished? Observing how something has gone from something less or maybe nothing at all to something greater. It could be the satisfaction of knowing that what lies before them was done by their own hand. Perhaps it’s the gratification received from observing the quality of one’s craftsmanship and the pride earned from the feeling of accomplishment. Of course, it could be any combination or all of these things, but sometimes the reward for a hard day’s work can, unfortunately, be something completely different.

The hot August sun traveled its daily path and had now taken its place in the clear south western sky. Much like everyday at this time, Warren DeSoto was more than ready to knock off for the day and go home. Even though he wore gloves his hands were aching and his backside was numb after sitting in the cab of a back hoe all day. Wet with sweat, he was fatigued and had hit the proverbial wall. Warren worked for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and was employed as a heavy machinery operator. He was part of a construction crew and he had been operating that back hoe doing site preparation all day. He and the crew were involved in a new road project that had been slated to pass by the small city of Manomet, Massachusetts. Today had been a day like so many others; Warren was an experienced operator and had been doing it for years. His day was shaping up to be rather ordinary until he had encountered a problem while digging earlier that afternoon. As Warren was clearing soil, one of the members of the crew had noticed some exposed cables that he had uncovered deep within the hole. These cables came as a complete surprise to the men as they had not anticipated finding any buried utilities in this area. He remained in the cab while one of the men went in search of the job foreman. Arriving momentarily the foreman took one look into the hole and flashed Warren the kill sign. While he was inside of the cab he wasn’t able to hear anything over the noise of the heavy equipment, so sign language of that type had developed into the normal form of communication. When he saw Randy, his foreman, drag his finger in front of his neck, he killed the engine immediately. The issue had the potential to become a big one, it could have meant that the new road could not pass through this area and would have to be redesigned. That would take a lot of time and cost a good bit of money, not to mention, that the site work would have to be suspended at least temporarily. Understanding the importance of the matter, Randy wasted no time in taking action. He immediately got the main office on the phone and had someone review the subsurface drawings. Fortunately, nothing showed on the plans for this location; it must have been a short trunk of cables left behind from a previously demolished structure. Having no difficultly in resolving the problem, it turned out to be more time consuming than anything else. However, with the job came a certain amount of pressure. This project Warren was working on, as were all of them, was for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. That meant that it was being funded by state and federally mandated money. It had a projected completion date and anything that would delay that date had the potential to put them dangerously over budget. Needless to say, Warren’s little issue had created a small setback. Because he was a hard working man that wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, his years of experience were no accident. Knowing that the work needed to be completed on time, at the end of his shift, he told the crew foreman that he would be willing to work late until he had finished. He also knew that if he hadn’t of volunteered, he most likely would’ve been told to do so anyway. Besides, because he had gotten permission from the foreman his overtime was now authorized.

It was late afternoon and the construction crew had gone home for the day leaving Warren alone with his work. If things went smoothly, and he had every reason to expect that they would, he would be finished within an hour, maybe a little more. With everyone gone, he was able to focus on his work and he diligently continued with his task of removing the topsoil in preparation of the new road. There was a significant amount of soil that needed to be removed; the scope of a project of this magnitude was quite large, but he wasn’t expected to have it all completed today, only the portion of which that would keep his crew on schedule. After several minutes Warren began to hit a stride and he was systematically completing his work. Then, suddenly, he felt the bucket hesitate for a moment, the back hoe vibrated slightly and Warren immediately knew that he had found something. With the engine running, Warren quickly opened the door of the cab and jumped down to the ground. He was already there working late because of difficulties he’d had earlier in the day. The last thing he needed was another setback. If he had struck a large rock or a bolder, the bucket would have kicked back violently. No, it wasn’t a rock, maybe it was just a fallen tree trunk or a pile of buried wood. Warren quickly made his way in front of the large machine to investigate.

As he expected, there was something visible at the bottom of the cleared area, although he could not tell what it was. Uncovered only slightly, he could see only that it was dark in color and it appeared to have an edge. He could tell immediately that it wasn’t a rock and it certainly was no tree trunk, he wouldn’t know what it was for sure until he could inspect it further. In the back of his work truck was some equipment that Warren used on the job, including a shovel. It was parked close to seventy five yards away and since he had no intention of staying out there any longer than necessary he decided to hurry. It took Warren only a moment to jog over to his truck, retrieve the shovel from the bed and return to the dig site. With shovel in hand, he stepped directly into the cleared area and took a closer look. Only a small portion of the object was uncovered and he could tell that his original assessment was correct; it was something made out of wood. It had been damaged slightly and small chards and pieces of it that had been broken off by the bucket of his back hoe lied at his feet. Warren put the shovel to good use and hurriedly began to clear the rest of the soil away from the mysterious object. Not only was it his job, but his curiosity was peaked and he took special care as to not destroy it. Slowly and carefully he painstakingly removed several feet of soil from above the concealed body. He realized that spending time investigating this thing would keep him from his duties and force him to stay even later than expected, but at the moment he didn’t mind. He was intrigued by this obscure lump and what it might be and now he was determined to find out what it was. After several minutes of digging, Warren threw the shovel out of the hole and began clearing away the remaining soil with his gloved hands. Suddenly, Warren stood up on his feet, realizing just what he had uncovered gave him quite a jolt. It had become immediately clear to him what he had struck with his back hoe and what he had been down on his hands and knees uncovering. Through the thin layer of remaining soil, Warren could see clearly that it wasn’t a rock, nor was it a tree trunk. He was standing directly on top of a wooden casket.

With both hands Warren let go of the ropes and they fell to the ground. Using the back of his old leather work glove, he wiped the perspiration from his dirty forehead. Quickly checking his watch, he learned that he had now been working much later than he had expected; it was already a quarter past seven. From the looks of things, it appeared that he would be there even longer. Now freed of its resting place, Warren approached the coffin and hovered over it. As he was untying the ropes from its handles he could see that the outside of the coffin was black and the surface was rough. It appeared to be charred like it had been scorched in a fire. It also had been damaged while being disturbed, but only slightly. The foot of the casket was broken and partially crushed. Other than the apparent scorching it received, it survived fully intact. For a moment, Warren stood there puzzled, unsure of what to do next. Even after all of his years on the job and all of the extensive training he had received, he was unclear of how to proceed. Discovering a single coffin, buried no where near a cemetery, was something for which there was no precedence. With his hand on his chin, he went over his options.

He reached for the casket and then slowly pulled back his hand. Afraid of what he might encounter, he thought twice about opening it to see what was inside.

You know what’s inside. he thought to himself. I mean, it is a casket. What else would be in there? Perhaps, there was some sort of legal procedure that needed to be done. What if the authorities needed to be alerted and someone such as the police or the property owners should be the ones to open it. Again, he knew no precedent in what to do next, there wasn’t exactly a Department of Accidentally Unearthed Coffins to contact and this land had been purchased from its original owners by the state of Massachusetts and had been public land for years. Warren concluded that the best course of action would be for him to call his foreman. He had his cell number and he would let the decision fall upon him, after all, he’s the boss. However, before he made that call, it might be best for him to take a look inside of the coffin. What if this old burnt out thing was empty? Then, there wouldn’t exactly be anything to report and he would just be wasting his supervisor’s time. Warren was actually older than Randy and he received a lot of respect from him and the rest of the crew. Calling his foreman at home and bothering him about an empty casket, like a frightened schoolboy, would jeopardize the respect that he had earned. He had no intention of becoming the butt of childish jokes or turning into a punch line, so the decision was made; he would open the coffin.

Standing on the hinged side of the coffin, Warren bent over and placed both hands on the other side. He grabbed the lid firmly and with no more thought about it, he pulled on the lid. It budged only slightly. He felt confident that he could get it open without going back to the truck for tools once again. Putting his foot on the edge closest to him, he leaned over and placed his hands on the lid of the coffin as before. He took a deep breath and then with all of his strength he pulled up on the lid. Wood snapped and there was a crackling sound, the lid flew open against him and knocked him back onto the ground. As he lied there, catching his breath, he caught wind of the horrendous stink that bellowed out of the open casket. When he climbed to his feet, he was prepared to find what he had been expecting; the very old and emaciated remains of a dead body. However, when he looked inside, he was completely taken by surprise at what he had actually discovered.

He was amazed to find that it was not a decayed or mummified body inside at all, but a beautiful young black woman that appeared as if she could be sleeping. Warren was astounded. How could this woman, who was buried in this coffin for what had to be a great many years, be so well preserved and look so young? It was as if she had been buried that morning, but it was clear to Warren that this was not the case; there was a fine layer of dust that covered her entire body. The woman had been laid to rest in a beautiful full length gown. Now, stained and dirty, the delicate fabric had thinned and decayed over the years and was pressed tightly around her long and slender body. Looking toward the foot of the casket, he noticed that she had been buried without any shoes. Her bare feet were exposed, but were unharmed by the damage to the coffin by the back hoe. As strange as his afternoon and early evening had been, it would get even stranger. The most noticeable feature about this corpse was not how it was found or its apparent lack of decay, but the fact that this woman had been wrapped in chains before being buried. With her arms at her side, this beautiful young woman had been encircled in chains, from her shoulders to her feet, for an untold number of years.

With his questions answered and his curiosity satisfied, Warren DeSoto retrieved a cell phone from the pocket of his orange safety vest and pushed out the number for his foreman.

Randy, this is DeSoto. Listen, I’m sorry to bother you at home.

It’s alright DeSoto, I just finished my dinner. What seems to be the problem?

Well, I don’t really know how to explain it.

You bothered me at home and you don’t know how to explain it? This better be good.

Yeah, Randy it is. Listen, you know I stayed out here late to finish that section before going home…

You mean you’re still out there? What the hell’s goin’ on DeSoto?

Well, I need to know how to proceed. Ya see, I found something out here that I think you should know about.

Spit it out, man

I found an old coffin…I uncovered an old coffin and there’s a body in it.

What? Have you been drinkin’ DeSoto?

No, sir. And I think there might have been some kind of crime.

Crime? How so?

Randy, there’s a woman inside and she’s wrapped up in chains and the coffin is kinda burnt on the outside. I drug it outta the hole and took a look inside and now I don’t know what I should do.

God damn it. We don’t need this. You just wait right there, I’m gonna come out there.

Don’t you think we need to call the police on this one?

What are you, serious? And start some investigation on our project site? That’s all we need is to get some injunction slapped on us to keep us from construction out there. You just do like I said and stay put ‘til I get there.

Yeah…yeah, ok. Just make it quick will ya? It’s getting dark out here and hangin’ out with this dead body is givin’ me the heebie jeebies.

You’ll be fine DeSoto. I’ll be out there soon. Randy said as he ended the phone call. Warren knew what Randy had in mind. He was going to come out to the job site and take a look at the casket for himself. This project was an important one, not just for the local economy, but also for the infrastructure of Massachusetts. Not to mention, it employed over one hundred people at this site alone and Warren knew that Randy would protect the jobs of those people first and foremost. The likely outcome for this situation was to dig another hole and return this woman to the earth. Only he and Randy would have any knowledge of the event and the secret would remain with the two of them. Whether it was right or wrong was not the issue, he wasn’t going to be the one to shut this project down or put all of those people out of work. It was just the way it was going to be. Wishing that there was more that he could do for this poor woman, he climbed up in the cab of the vehicle and turned on its flood lights. Then he returned to the coffin and looked upon this beautiful woman once again. As the sun was setting and the day was coming to an end, Warren found himself thinking about the mysterious woman. Who was she and how did she die? What kind of life did she live and why did someone do this to her? Just as he was getting used to the idea that he would never know the answers to those questions, Warren saw something so shocking that it terrified him to the core of his bones. The woman in chains opened her eyes.

His heart pounded and adrenaline coursed through his body; Warren was frightened for a moment and he jumped two steps back. As he regained his composure, he realized that this woman wasn’t dead and that she was going to need his help. Inside of the coffin, the woman was turning her head from side to side; she was squinting as her eyes were adjusting to the light from the machinery. Struggling against the chains, she wasn’t able to free her arms or move her legs. Obviously very weak, it was only a moment before fatigue set in and all movement suddenly stopped. Observing that, Warren rushed back to the coffin and knelt down beside it.

Can you hear me? Lady, are you alright? he asked her. Although there was no response from her, she turned her head toward him and opened her eyes.

Can you tell me what happened to you? How long have you been in here? He chose to be patient this time and give her a moment to answer. Slowly, she gathered her strength and was able to find her voice. Gently, she opened her mouth and spoke.

Help me. she said quietly.

I’m here, I’m right here. Can you tell me your name? asked Warren. She looked up at him and blinked her eyes. Again, she gathered her strength and found her voice.

Kis…Kisasi. she uttered.

Listen, Kisasi, I’ll be right back, I’m just gonna run up to my truck for some tools, okay? I’ll be right back. Having said that, he left the casket and ran as fast as he could to his truck. Being the third trip to it in just a couple of hours; for a shovel, some rope and now bolt cutters, he decided to drive it back this time and park it next to the back hoe. Warren jumped out of the truck and with bolt cutters in hand he quickly returned to Kisasi.

Now don’t move. I wouldn’t want to hurt you. Just lie still and I’ll have you out of these chains as fast as I can. reassured Warren. Very carefully, he reached in, grabbed one of the chains and tugged on it. Then he carefully placed the jaws of the cutters around the chain and grabbed the end of the handles. Focusing his strength into a quick burst, he jerked the arms of the bolt cutters together and cut the chain. Being careful not to harm her, Warren placed the cutters on several other locations surrounding her body and meticulously he cut the links of the chain. Next, he dropped the bolt cutters on the ground and laid the chains open across her body.

There, you’re free. Can you tell me what happened to you? he asked. Warren realized that the plan was changing. When Randy finally made his way here, he would find that the mystery woman is quite alive. Not only that, but now she has a name. An investigation was almost a certainty now that she had been found to be alive. Now free from the chains and given some time to rest, Kisasi’s voice came a bit easier this time.

He assigned me...to eternal death. I was...bound by these chains and buried alive. whispered Kisasi. It was all she could muster and then she again fell silent.

Buried alive? Who did this to you? said Warren with confusion. From Kisasi there was no reply, she simply closed her eyes.

Warren was convinced that this woman, obviously, had survived a great ordeal. No doubt, it was also a very traumatic experience for her. He felt that he was left with no choice; he had to help Kisasi and waiting any longer for Randy could put her in greater jeopardy. Slowly, he reached into the casket and placed his hands underneath her body; one under her upper back and the other beneath her thighs. Not knowing how long she had been trapped, he wanted to be careful not to harm her.

Kisasi, just hold on. I’m gonna get you some help. he said as he very gently began to lift her out of the old charred coffin. When he had lifted her frail body completely and held her firmly, he slowly got up from his kneeling position and began to stand up. Holding her tightly against his body, but not so tightly as to hurt her, Warren was carrying Kisasi in his arms and standing nearly erect. At that moment she was able to slowly wrap her arm around his neck and shoulders. Slowly, she crept ever closer to Warren’s fleshy unprotected neck. As she drew closer to his warm skin and his flowing arteries, Kisasi felt her incisors elongate in her mouth. As Warren was trying to carry her gently, he was completely oblivious to the fact that the whites of her eyes had gone blood red.

The pain caught Warren off guard and he yelled out in anguish. It was intense and racked his body as Kisasi’s teeth pierced into and tore open the side of his neck. What blood she wasn’t gobbling up greedily went spilling down all over his chest. Crippled with confusion, he was momentarily frozen by an overwhelming disbelief. Suddenly, Warren’s evening had gone from bad to worse; it was as if he had been thrust into the middle of a violent and bizarre nightmare. He had absolutely no idea of what was happening to him; surely this couldn’t be real. One thing that he knew for sure was that he was experiencing excruciating pain and he could actually feel her drawing the blood out of his searing wound. Still in Warren’s arms, Kisasi had now tightly wrapped her arms around Warren. Her embrace was too powerful for him to break free and he began to stumble. Kisasi was firmly fastened to the side of Warren’s neck and greedily she was swallowing his warm blood. He dropped again to his knees as Warren was becoming too weak to fight against her and was slipping into shock. His blood had now completely saturated his work shirt and because very little was reaching his brain, Warren was going in and out of consciousness. Collapsing into the dirt he impacted the ground in a cloud of dust, Warren was still not able to break free, with her fangs buried deeply into his flesh, she was still securely adhered to him.

Things were now becoming clear to him and they were finally sinking in. Although he was only semi-lucid he knew full well what was happening to him. What he had discovered buried away inside of that coffin was no ordinary woman. This beautiful young woman was neither dead nor alive. She was something so horrifying that he thought beings such as she could only exist in the minds of the most imaginative. A creature that only existed in folklore and legend; as a child he enjoyed the fantasy and romanticism of such creatures in literature and movies, but lo and behold this was real. Although, it seemed like a nightmare, this was no dream. Warren realized that she had been wrapped in those chains for a reason. Someone had buried her away, deep in the earth, to protect the world from such a monster and he unknowingly had set her free. Not only was it the end of a long and hard for day for Warren DeSoto, but unfortunately, it was also the end of his life. Unchaining Kisasi and unleashing her into the world would be the last thing that Warren would ever do. That is, except for dying, which is exactly what he did out there alone in the Massachusetts countryside.

Although it was still warm, there was no life left in Warren’s body; he was quite dead. Slowly, Kisasi disengaged from his neck and pushed herself up from his body. No longer feeling exhausted or weak, Kisasi now possessed the strength to rise to her feet. It felt good to her to stand erect; she could no longer remember the last time that she had. What also felt good to her was the unmistakable sensation she was experiencing. Every cell in her body was energized, like they were all vibrating individually. Because of it, the power within her muscles was almost overwhelming. There was a powerful sense of strength and durability; like an unyielding feeling of invincibility deep from within her. She smiled as she looked up into the early evening sky. Laughing, with her arms out at her sides, she spun in around in place. Her bare feet twirling in the bloody mud beneath her, she focused her eyes deep into the night sky and rejoiced. Kisasi had many reasons beyond the obvious to be joyous. The simple fact that she had been set free was