บท 175: 15. Smooth Criminal.
The guards carried the corpse deep into the jungle, a task that had become routine for them. In this place, people were killed, sometimes accidentally and sometimes intentionally. It was what it was, and they simply followed orders without questioning. The corpse wasn't particularly heavy, and to one of the guards, she looked like a damn teenager. Thoughts of his daughter's joyful laughter crossed his mind, but he couldn't allow himself to think of this lifeless body as someone's beloved daughter. That would make it impossible for him to do his job.
This job paid well, supporting his family of five children and his wife, and her mother, all living under the same roof. He was trying to save money for them to move to the States, but it wasn't an easy task. Sometimes, one has to sell their soul to survive in this ruthless world.
As they arrived at the dumping site, the guard dropped the corpse on the ground, firmly gripping the blanket and pulling it away. There were other corpses around, what was left of them. The pale, frail-looking body rolled onto its side, with half-opened eyes staring into nothingness. Somehow, her expression seemed accusing, blaming. She was just one more victim in this cruel game.
The guard turned around and said to the others, "Come on, let's go. Nature will take care of her, and quickly. There's not much feasting on her."
A few guards grunted, and he carried the rough tarp in his hands. It was crucial to leave the corpses exposed so that flies and animals could start their work. They were merely returning her to wherever she had come from. Earth to earth, dust to dust, the guard thought to himself.
The accusing expression of this particular corpse had left an imprint on his mind. The blood-red hair framing the frail face, the dark accusing eyes, the bloodless lips slightly parted. The guard had to find a way to distract himself and erase that image from his mind. It was anymore piece of discarded meat. Not an actual person or anyone's beloved child.
After the guards had left and darkness began to descend, the corpse moved. It didn't breathe, and there was no heartbeat, but its hand moved, fingers flexed. The dry, lifeless eyes blinked, and the once-haunted expression became neutral. The corpse knew it was safe, and it was time to wake up and find the nearest safe place. She was still pale, resembling a corpse due to the lack of circulation, but she slowly rose to a sitting position.
Fucking dry eyes. In my mind, I cursed as I got up. It was not all. I knew that he had injected a large air bubble into my heart, and if I allowed it to circulate, it would be excruciatingly painful. I had some awareness a few minutes after my heart had stopped, even though I had played a corpse.
So, I had to handle this differently. I kept my heart still and next up would be time to find the nearest place where someone could remove the air bubble from my heart. Then, I could start my heart again and function without a heartbeat. I could simply exist, letting the drug halt my breathing and heart. However, I needed to escape and keep my wits. I could see piles of corpses, flies buzzing, maggots crawling. Well, there was evidence for authorities, at least.
Whoever these damn idiots had been, they had no clue about my true identity, and I had a better chance of saving everyone once I would get out. Now, I had to get myself together and start planning the rescue mission. Of course, Wulfe and Magnum would probably rip a new one for me because of this, but it was what it was. These kinds of situations were not uncommon in missions. I wondered if Colin would be available, but he might overreact to the whole situation.
Additionally, I had been flooded with an entire bottle of 250 ml of that damn barbiturate solution. Just 1 ml of it could kill a human, and I had 250 ml in me. It would definitely have some effect once my heart started beating again. I pondered my next move. I didn't have time to take a nap. I had already allowed some of the drug to take effect, but it would take about 50 ml to "kill" me. Meaning, there was still a substantial amount of it in my system.
But I reassured myself that I would be fine. I needed to drain most of my blood to reduce the amount of the drug in my body and get rid of the air bubble. Then, I could start planning how to save everyone in a public manner. Of course, I would have Salvatores, Wulfe, Magnum, boys, and others on my tail. It was time to step up as a leader.
I chose a direction and transformed into a black jaguar, silently running through the jungle. I had no pulse or breath, but I kept going. I didn't want to alert anyone just yet. My first stop would be one of my safe houses, which would be closest to my current location. There, I would have time to take a shower, dress myself, and send a message to the base to see who was available and what they wanted to do.
I was contemplating how to turn this into a public spectacle. It wouldn't be easy to involve the federal police of Brazil, as they viewed me as a potential criminal. However, I had some evidence and believed that more could be found. Those corpses would be the start. If I wanted to uncover any drug shipments or contraband, I might have to engage with the federal highway police as well.
Satellites would play a crucial role, and I needed to make an impact on law enforcement here. Luckily, I wasn't alone in this endeavor, so perhaps we could bring attention to this issue on a national level. Getting the NSA involved wouldn't be difficult, since I was the leader of my unit. I planned to launch an investigation into supernatural matters, while others could focus on the human victims. Maybe even the CIA or FBI would join us.
One thing was certain, I didn't want to be the main hero of this story. I had already devised a plan to make Damon and Mariella the heroes, portraying them as victims or individuals who had been saved. I wasn't sure what the press would call them, but they would receive the recognition they deserved, allowing me to remain in the shadows as I desired.
It would require some effort on my part to reach that point, but it was simply part of my job. I would ensure my privacy and avoid being interviewed by the press or appearing on television programs. It would all work out well. This would give Damon and Mariella something meaningful to do, as they could bring attention to our cause and become heroes, the perfect couple.
As I reached my safehouse, I fine-tuned my little plan. I transformed back into my human form, quickly pressed the buttons, and slipped inside. I was completely naked, just as I had been left in the jungle. I hoped my gear, including my gun, was still in that compound. Even if it wasn't, it wouldn't be of any use to anyone else since it was fingerprint-protected. It was fortunate that the stupid blonde guy had underestimated me.
I entered the coolness of the house and made my way to one of the bedrooms. Although it was a five-bedroom house, it wasn't spacious enough to accommodate a large group, but it would suffice for me or my team if we needed a place to rest. I walked towards the shower, ensuring that my heart remained stopped and I didn't breathe. It was a bit challenging, but I knew that if I started to breathe, my heart would resume beating, and that wouldn't be ideal.
The warm water cascaded over my body, washing away the sweat and soothing my muscles, which were still sore from those damned tasers. Since my circulation was offline, all the metabolites remained in my cells, causing discomfort and aching.
Oh, how I longed for a big bag of my special blood to take care of all of this. Unfortunately, I couldn't have it. Maybe I should get a strong mix for myself and leave a message after my blood meal. Yes, blood was the next step. I dried myself off, almost tasting the blood in my mouth, feeling it trickle down my throat. It was thick, ice cold, or if I wanted, warmed, hot like a living thing, warming me up. I could feel my fangs dropping as I daydreamed about having my own jug of blood.
I got dressed and entered the room where I kept my bloods. I took a jug and made the strongest mix I could. I didn't bother warming it this time. Instead of sipping it slowly, I raised the jug to my lips and greedily drank it in a few gulps. Soon, the jug was empty, but I needed more. So, I made another jug. This time, I had the time to pour it into a glass, but I drank those glasses quickly. And once again, the jug was empty. Nope, I needed more.
It had been a stressful ordeal, and I needed to be in the best shape possible to get rid of the drug. I made another jug, but this time I sipped it slower. My mind calmed down, euphoria set in, and I relaxed. Ahh... this was just perfect. There was no mission, no suffering humans or pack members. There was only my perfect state of being, my relaxation, my euphoria. My eyes rolled back in my head as I enjoyed my blood mix. Ahh... I really did need the blood. I was a freaking vampire. This was just perfect.
Time went by, and I paid no attention to anything else but my euphoria. Finally, I opened my eyes as the high wore off and reality set in. Well, it was time to face the music, so to speak. As I glanced at my phone, I realized my high had lasted 12 hours. Well, maybe it was a well-deserved one. After all, I had done a hell of a lot of work, so a little pleasure was okay for me to have.
I took out my laptop and wrote a message to our dark web. Then, I just waited for a response. It came 15 minutes later from Magnum, who was not happy at all. Colin and several Salvatores were in the base, ready to get me well. Magnum wanted the coordinates of where I had been and what I could say about it.
I handed over my report to him on the dark web before getting my things organized. I told him about the corpses and dumping ground. After that, I began driving up to the base, rolling my eyes in anticipation of their disapproval. I knew they would be upset that others had been left behind.
However, Magnum had already started arranging a public rescue, so they would need some evidence. I provided them with the coordinates of where I had been dumped, knowing that there were other corpses there. This would serve as a discreet hint to the federal police about bodies in the jungle. We would offer our assistance first as part of the NSA and then as Fleas.
As I drove towards the base, I was determined to make my sniper list after this mission. Damon and Mariella were at the top, and the rest of the pack would be kept busy so I could have some time to myself. I looked forward to catching some live prey, as they were always a treat. If I captured a strong demon king, I could feed off him. He wouldn't die from a single feeding, so I could let him go and have more prey for next time. It was perfect.
I had no problem with drinking blood. During my time as the Hive Queen, I had consumed as much blood as I could. So I didn't understand why Wulfe suddenly saw me as an addict. He was sometimes a little tense, when it came to my blood-drinking, not sure why.
As I finally arrived at the base, I parked my car and saw Number Nine, Ten, Magnum, and Alaric walking out. Great. I briefly wondered where Wulfe was, but I wasn't really focused on that. I opened the door just as Number Ten approached and touched me.
"Stay put," he said. "We'll teleport you to the medbay soon. Let's see how we can extract most of that stuff from your blood. The air bubble is not an issue; it can be easily dealt with using a spell. However, the overload of pentobarbital is less than ideal. It will be toxic for your system. And if we want to get this rescue done soon, we need you. You're our link to the NSA, so there's no time for sick leave, missy."
His voice was stern enough to make me obey. He and Number Nine both held onto me, and I could feel their energies flowing through my veins. I wasn't sure what they were doing, but suddenly, we teleported to the medbay.
I guessed that Alaric was parking my car while Magnum checked it out. They wanted to ensure that I had everything I needed, and then some extra. They also wanted to make sure there were no bugs or explosives in my car. And I suspected that Magnum would see if I had too many little toys just for myself. Sometimes, I would get little gadgets for myself that I was reluctant to share.
It was time for me to get myself in tip-top shape, get this damn drug out of me, and then focus on the rescue operation. I wanted to make Mariella and Damon the stars of the day, maybe even Wulfe and Magnum too, although I wasn't sure yet. I was going to make them the perfect couple that the press could harass, interview, and write stories about. Not me, not this time.
Despite what had happened, I was still feeling pretty damn good. That little blood meal had come at just the right time. I was a vampire. I needed to have blood. But it wasn't cocaine, just the blood of evil beings. There was nothing wrong with having a good amount of blood and enjoying it.
As I have said many times in this book of mine, I am not perfect. And during my addiction, I made some very bad decisions that I have regretted ever since. It took something precious away from me. I was stubborn and weak, and I didn't realize the state I was in until it was too late. By that time, I had done something irreversible. Oh my god, to this day, I wish I hadn't done it. But you can't change the past. All you can do is learn from the bitter lessons and nasty decisions, and what came after them. Once again, it's time that sometimes takes me deep into my "what if" land. I think about how different things would have been if I hadn't done it.
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