“I imagine you’ll tell me regardless,” Clayton said through clenched teeth.
“If you survive, but I doubt you will,” Platov quipped.
“You gave me the word if; I will provide you with one as well. Doubt. Never doubt me and my intentions, never doubt my tenacity, and never, ever doubt that I will survive and tear you limb from limb!”
“You wouldn’t dare try such a bold move, Clayton! Our treaty specifically states we cannot kill one of our own blood types, and that includes all of the A’s and B’s!”
“Don’t you get it? Can’t you see the bigger picture here, Platov? The pact is no more! The boundary map that we signed with our blood no longer exists! The treaties, all of them are now null and void!”
“How can that be?” Platov asked in astonishment.
“Have you not bore witness to the sins, the wrongdoings that Maryl Rosser laid upon us over the centuries?”
“Methinks you’ve become paranoid, Clayton. Everything is fine. There have been no wars, no boundary disputes, and no civil unrest even after your abrupt departure.”
Clayton took several deep breaths. “Now would be a good time to attack Maryl and Ray’s troops. They wouldn’t be expecting the onslaught that would follow.”
“Are you insane? They outnumber us! Not to mention that would wipe out treaties we’ve had with the O’s for centuries!”
“Platov, are you daft and stupid? Have you not listened to anything I’ve just told you? There are no alliances, no treaties, just treachery from every corner! Furthermore, what’s to stop Maryl and Ray from wiping us out while I am gone?”
“You place too much importance on yourself, Clayton. Everything is fine. Go and find a cure or whatever you’re trying to do with the serum. Hell, ninety-nine percent of us either don’t care or understand what it is that you’re trying to do.”
Clayton felt deflated like he had been punched in the stomach. No one understood the importance of his work. It was for the preservation of all A and B’s vampires! Why couldn’t anyone see that?
Clayton hung up. He put the phone back where it belonged. Clayton got out of the van and leaned against it. He tried to feel the coolness of the van through his jeans, but his invulnerable skin felt nothing.
Clayton looked at the ground in sadness. He believed he was fighting a war on several fronts, and it hurt his soul.
He rubbed his face and brushed his hair with his hands. He gazed at the full moon and the cloudless sky. A tear managed to escape his tear duct and fell silently. His hearing was so acute; he heard the water droplet slowly trickle down his face. He closed his eyes and drowned out all of the noise of the cars speeding past.
Clayton listened to deer running and brushing by the thicket of bushes and trees. He heard the crickets chirping, which displayed the temperature. Clayton learned many years ago if someone counted the number of chirps in fifteen seconds and then added thirty-seven, it would give a rough calculation of the outdoor temperature in Fahrenheit.
With all that beautiful noise, Clayton managed to focus on the wind that whispered to the tree leaves that swayed with feverish delight. Humanity didn’t appreciate the intricacies of how powerful and yet how subtle nature truly was.
Clayton came out of his reverie when he heard the distinctive sound of the other blue van long before it turned into the parking lot. When the van parked, Clayton helped the others pour the ice over the blood.
“Any problems obtaining the ice, Jack?”
Jack shook his head. “Nah. We bought plenty of bags.”
“Good.”
Jack and several of the scientists surrounded Clayton.
“What’s going on, Jack? Another mutiny?”
“You tell me, Clayton.”
“What do you mean?”
“A couple of us stayed behind. One of my fellow scientists called me and said you made two phone calls. Mind telling me who you called?”
“When did you become the brave one, Jack? A few days ago, you were telling me how you’re a scientist and not a warrior.”
“Circumstances dictate who I am, Clayton.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means, Clayton, that we outnumber you. We can defeat you if we have to even though we aren’t warriors of your caliber. All I asked was a simple question. Who did you speak to?”
Clayton had severely underestimated Jack and his cohort of scientists. He didn’t want to kill them. Jack and the other researcher's knowledge of genetics and DNA splicing were invaluable. Not to mention they had a vast array of expertise in immunology.
Clayton put up his hands in surrender. “I spoke to Maryl and Platov.”
“What? I could understand Platov, but Maryl Rosser, the Seeker? Why her? Isn’t Maryl our sworn immortal enemy?”
“Yes, she is. I was calling her for you and the other scientist's benefit.”
“I find that hard to believe, Clayton,” Jack said with suspicion.
“It’s true. I was attempting to defuse the hostility between the different blood types. That way, she wouldn’t try to locate us and take our serum.”
“Why would you do that?”
Clayton looked at Jack incredulously. “Jack, it was you who said you and your scientists could work better without Maryl and Ray going after us!”
Jack’s face softened. “I recall saying that a few days ago. How did it go?”
“She recoiled at my suggestion of peace. She wants war, which is why I called Platov after Maryl. I tried to convince him the time was ripe for us to invade Maryl and Ray’s troops.”
“And what did Platov, the Compromiser, say to your request?”
“He did not heed my advice, I’m afraid. He refused to compromise.”
Jack gave a slight nod to his brethren. They moved away from Clayton.
“Now, can we be on our way?” Clayton asked nicely, even though he wanted to rip Jack’s head off his shoulders.
Jack stood motionless in front of Clayton. “We believe in your vision, your quest to sequence the serum so the A’s and B’s can
