Below the City

Below the City
Viv kicked the robed figure in the knee and grabbed Damien's arm. "This way!" she yelled, pulling him and Sarah toward a dark side tunnel.

The figure howled in pain. "After them! Don't let them escape!"

They ran blindly through the tight tunnel, their single flashlight bouncing wildly against the walls. The sounds of angry words and pounding footsteps echoed behind them.

"Who was that?" Damien gasped as they ran.

"Principal Morgan," Sarah said, her voice shaking. "He's been part of this the whole time."

Viv couldn't believe it. The school principal had been helping them look for the missing people. He had organized search groups and put up reward posters. It had all been a trick.

"Quick, turn here!" Sarah pointed to a smaller cave branching off to the right.

They squeezed into the tight passage. It was so tight that Damien had to turn sideways to fit through.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Viv whispered.

"No," Sarah replied. "But they won't follow us in here. They're all grown ups. They won't fit as easily."

She was right. The angry voices grew more distant as they pushed deeper into the tight tunnel.

After what felt like forever, the tunnel widened into a small round room with three other tunnels heading out of it.

"Which way now?" Damien asked, shining the flashlight at each hole.

Sarah looked lost. "I don't know. I've never been in this part before."

Viv felt something strange – a pulling feeling toward the tunnel on the left. It was like a voice in her head saying, This way.

"Let's try the left one," she said.

"Why?" Damien asked.

Viv couldn't explain it. "Just a feeling."

They followed the left tunnel, which sloped downhill. The air grew cooler and damper. Water dripped from the roof, and their footsteps echoed on the stone floor.

Suddenly, the tunnel stopped at a strange wall. It wasn't made of the same rough stone as the rest of the caves. This wall was smooth and black, with strange figures carved into it. In the middle was a circular depression about the size of a dinner plate.

"It's a door," Sarah whispered.

Damien ran his hands over the smooth surface. "But there's no handle, no keyhole."

Viv stepped closer to examine the marks. They were unlike anything she had ever seen – whirling lines and sharp angles that seemed to move when she looked at them too long.

As she reached out to touch one of the symbols, her finger caught on a sharp edge. "Ouch!" She pulled her hand back. A small drop of blood welled up on her fingertip.

Before she could wipe it away, the blood seemed to move on its own. It floated off her finger and drifted toward the circular depression in the middle of the door.

"What's happening?" Damien asked, his eyes wide.

The drop of blood touched the circle and spread out, filling the grooves of a sign they hadn't noticed before. The sign began to glow with a deep red light.

"Viv, your blood..." Sarah whispered. "It's doing something to the door."

More symbols lit up, spreading outward from the center like waves in a pond. Soon the entire door was glowing.

"Get back!" Damien pulled the girls away just as a loud rumbling shook the tube.

The black door began to slide open, showing a large space beyond.

"How did you do that?" Sarah asked Viv.

Viv stared at her finger, which had stopped bleeding. "I don't know."

They stood frozen, looking at the opening.

"Should we go in?" Damien asked.

Viv heard footsteps and words from the tunnel behind them. "We don't have a choice. They're coming."

They stepped through the doorway into a huge underground chamber. The door slid shut behind them with a heavy thud.

The room was lit by strange blue flames that burned in stone bowls along the walls. The ceiling soared high above them, covered in more of the strange symbols. At the far end stood a raised stage with what looked like a throne made of black stone.

"What is this place?" Damien's voice repeated.

Sarah pointed to the walls. "Look at the pictures."

Carved into the walls were scenes of people bowing before tall figures with sharp teeth. In another scene, the tall figures drank from the necks of kneeling people.

"Are those... vampires?" Damien asked.

"This must be some kind of temple," Viv said. She felt strange being here – not scared, but like she belonged somehow. It made no sense.

They moved deeper into the chamber. More carvings showed the vampires teaching people magic and giving them powers.

"The cults," Sarah whispered. "They worship these things. They think the vampires will give them power if they bring sacrifices."

"Like you and the other missing people," Damien said.

Viv approached the throne. Something sparkled at its base – a small golden box. She picked it up carefully. It was decorated with the same symbols as the door.

"Put that down!" a voice yelled from behind them.

They spun around. Principal Morgan stood there with five robed figures. How had they gotten in?

"The blood key," Morgan said, looking at Viv with hunger in his eyes. "I knew it had to be you. We've been searching for someone like you for so long."

"What are you talking about?" Viv clutched the golden box tighter.

"Your blood opened the door. You're a descendant, girl. A descendant of the ancient ones themselves." Morgan took a step toward them.

"Don't come any closer!" Damien stood in front of Viv, but he was shaking.

Morgan laughed. "You can't protect her, boy. She belongs to us now. To the Master."

"I don't belong to anyone," Viv said. She could feel anger rising inside her, hot and powerful.

"Oh, but you do." Morgan's smile was cruel. "Why do you think you had those visions when you touched Sarah? Why do you think your blood opened the door? You're special, Viv. You have the blood of vampires in your veins."

The words hit Viv like a punch. "You're lying."

"Am I? Haven't you always felt different? Haven't you always been stronger, faster, more aware than your friends?"

It was true. Viv had always been active without trying. She could see better in the dark than anyone she knew. She rarely got sick.

"The Master will be so pleased." Morgan took another step forward. "Your blood will not only open doors but will make him more powerful than ever."

"What master?" Sarah asked.

As if in answer, the blue flames suddenly grew taller, and the ground started to shake.

"He comes!" Morgan fell to his knees, and the other robed figures did the same.

The stone throne began to crack. A hand burst through – a pale hand with long fingers and sharp nails.

"Run!" Damien shouted.

But there was nowhere to run. The door was sealed behind them, and Morgan's troops blocked the way.

Viv looked down at the golden box in her hands. Something told her it was important. Without thinking, she pressed her injured finger to a small hole in the side of the box.

The box began to glow, just like the door had.

"No!" Morgan screamed. "Stop her!"

The robed forms rushed forward, but it was too late. The box opened in Viv's hands, showing a small, sharp wooden stake.

The throne burst, sending pieces of stone flying everywhere. In its place stood a tall person in dark clothes. His skin was pale as moonlight, his eyes red as blood.

"Master!" Morgan cried out. "We have found her for you!"

The vampire's eyes fixed on Viv. "The descendant," he said in a voice that sounded like ice breaking. "At last."

Viv raised the stake, but the vampire moved faster than her eyes could follow. Suddenly he was right in front of her, his cold hand closing around her wrist.

"Did you think to kill me with this toy?" He squeezed until Viv dropped the stake. "You don't even know what you are yet."

"Let her go!" Damien charged at the vampire, but with one casual move, the creature threw him across the room.

"Damien!" Viv cried as he hit the wall and fell to the floor.

The vampire pulled Viv closer, his red eyes boring into hers. "Your blood is mine, child. But first, you must learn who you really are."

He leaned down, his cold breath on her neck. Viv struggled, but his grip was like iron.

"When you awaken," he whispered, "you will be one of us."

His fangs pierced her skin, and Viv felt her power draining away. As darkness closed in around her, she heard Sarah screaming and felt something strange happening to her body.

Her last thought before the darkness took her was: I'm changing. What am I becoming?