Jane’s heart sank when she heard the last broadcast from Agent Clarkson.
This is going to end badly. It’s too late to try to run away.
‘Emily!’ Doctor Owen shouted and ran to embrace his wife as she walked through the south entrance of the mall.
Roxy was standing next to them but they ignored her. They hugged so tightly that they almost crushed each other’s bodies. Doctor Owen couldn’t even comprehend what his wife must have been through.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked.
‘I am now,’ she spluttered, fighting back the tears, ‘But there’s something you don’t know…’
‘If you’ve hurt her…’ Doctor Owen started to threaten Roxy.
‘She’s fine,’ Roxy said, ‘Can we get on with this? We haven’t got much time.’
Doctor Owen pointed at the pile of bags and cases on the floor by the fountain. ‘Take it, it’s all yours. Where’s Doctor Forrest?’
Roxy smiled and waved to a van that was parked just outside the entrance. Two vampires in black suits escorted a man in dark trousers and a white shirt into the mall. It was Doctor Forrest.
‘You’re okay!’ Doctor Owen exclaimed as he walked through the doors.
‘Have you got everything there?’ Doctor Forrest asked, ignoring any concern Andrew had for his well-being.
‘Er… yes. It’s all there.’
‘Including the backup tapes?’
‘Yes, everything.’
‘Excellent,’ he said and turned to his vampire escorts, ‘Take these back to the van.’
The vampires walked over to the fountain and picked up the bags and cases. As they left the mall, Doctor Owen realised the terrible truth.
‘You’re one of them!’
‘What?’ Jane exclaimed from behind him.
‘He’s right,’ Doctor Forrest said, ‘I’m one of them. I’m a vampire. I always have been, Andrew. I’m sorry I had to deceive you all these years.’
‘But it was you that kept us working on the cure when The Brotherhood were forcing us to work on the primary treatment.’
‘That’s right. You see, Andrew, the work on the secondary treatment is already complete. It has been for four years. It was my job to make sure you didn’t make any new developments in that time.’
‘In what time?’
‘In the time it took The Brotherhood to build up stockpiles of the secondary treatment all over the world.’
‘But why would they do that? Why would you want them to do that?’
‘To maintain a balance of the species.’
‘You mean you’re going to go public? There will be anarchy. It goes against the terms of the treaty.’
‘Controlled anarchy, Andrew. That’s the whole point: control. I know you haven’t seen the treaty so let me spell it out for you. This whole chain of events was agreed fifty years ago. The mass-production of the treatment. The building of stockpiles. Even the plane crash earlier today, while not spelled out in such detail, is implied by the need to greatly increase our numbers in a short time frame.’
‘To what end?’
‘Co-existence. The Rising has already begun.’
‘But the Rising would result in total extermination of the human race. You’ve read the Costas report. Vampires wouldn’t be able to stop themselves from drinking the blood of every human. Once that happens, the vampires would die out from hunger.’
‘That report was only released to make people think it could never happen. The key ingredient left out was political control. This plan is backed by the highest positions in world governments. Once we take our rightful place alongside the humans, a treatment program will begin to maintain certain layers of human society in the event of them turning into vampires. This will ensure peaceful co-existence.’
‘But the treatment isn’t complete. Once you’ve been bitten, you need to keep taking the treatment every day.’
‘I know. That’s the beauty of it. Regular treatment means regular payments to Mantek from every national health organisation around the world. Fifty years ago, we stood on the edge of our rise to power. A treaty was signed that agreed a fair share of the future of our planet. That includes its wealth. Mantek is part-owned by us, part-owned by the World Health Organisation.’
‘I don’t believe you!’ Jane shouted, ‘This could never happen!’
‘It could happen and it did. Fifty years ago, you were almost beaten. You would have agreed to anything. Now you get to be part of the Rising today.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Some of our brothers and sisters are here, waiting for you. Farewell, my friend.’ Doctor Forrest turned and walked out of the mall. The sun was just starting to rise outside so he ran for the van.
Roxy addressed Jane and the doctor one more time before leaving. ‘Your friend Skinner is dead. And don’t even think of trying to leave. Your friends, our babysitters The Brotherhood, are waiting outside for you with orders to shoot on sight.’
As she left the mall, the doors automatically closed and metal shutters started to drop behind the doors.
‘Andrew, what’s going on?’ Emily asked.
Screams echoed from the other side of the mall.
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