Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jude and I followed Gabe back into Elysium, heading upward to the level where the vault was located: thirteen.
Each step we took was heavy with anticipation, our breaths labored.
Going from the chaos outside, it seemed odd to hear silence.
It made me feel on edge and kept my senses heightened, as if expecting an ambush at any moment.
“There’s a direct elevator to the vault from your father’s quarters,” Gabe explained through heavy breaths. “Just in case there’s an attack, so he’ll likely already be inside.” He increased his speed, taking two steps at a time. “Hurry, I don’t want any of the vampires to find us.”
“Isn’t the army outside?” Jude asked as he trailed directly behind Gabe, our heavy feet echoing in the stairwell.
He shook his head. “That’s the Exiled, they’re the first wave of protection for Elysium. The second wave is hundreds of military-trained vampires. Their training quarters and weapon safehold are on the same level as the vault, so we have to be careful not to run into any of them.”
“Let’s take these off.” I lifted the mask from my face and tucked it under my armpit, as Jude did with his own.
A sickening dread filled me, the pit in my stomach deepening with each step, a feeling I couldn’t shake.
What will I do once I get there? I knew I had to take down my father, but I wanted him to admit to everything he did.
I needed validation in knowing I was saving the vampires and humans by removing this man from power.
As we reached the bottom of the stairs, we saw an elevator door and two smaller doors on either side of it.
A large black metal door to the right seemed to pulse with the echoes of a thousand battle cries, while the golden door across from it remained still and quiet.
“Let me guess which one is the vault.” I rolled my eyes. “Could my father be any more obvious?”
“Men’s ego will always be their downfall,” Jude breathed.
Gabe swiped his security card at the glowing electronic screen, hearing a satisfying click as the door unlocked. He gripped the handle with one strong hand, pulling the door open with a loud creak.
“I thought you cut the power?”
Gabe lowered his head, his perfectly arched eyebrow conveying skepticism. “Do you think your father wouldn’t have a generator inside the vault?”
I rolled my eyes again. “Of course he would.”
Inside, a towering wall of wooden crates, overflowing with canned goods, created a narrow aisle leading to a sturdy metal door.
The door featured a combination lock dead center, with a large Dog wheel directly underneath.
The hatchway resembled the kind of vault door used by banks—imposing, steel, and clearly designed for maximum security. How subtle.
“I don’t know the combination, do you?” I asked Gabe. “I suppose we could try all the numbers I can think of—birthdays, anniversaries, important moments.”
“I don’t think we’ll need it,” Jude answered, opening the thick door. “It’s already open.”
“I’ll go first,” I whispered, circling Jude and stepping foot inside. “Don’t lock us in.” The door was so thick, and the locks were so definitive that I was scared if it closed fully, we’d be stuck inside forever. Trapped.
As soon as we delved deeper, the overhead lights slowly flickered on, casting a warm glow on our surroundings.
Jude’s mouth fell open, his shock apparent as he took in the opulent room.
The room was a bizarre mix of luxury and tackiness—plush seating sank under the weight of its own opulence, while gold leaf clashed with the cold, hard surfaces of numerous, oddly placed animal statues.
To someone who didn’t know, this room would’ve looked very rich and over-the-top, which I’m sure it was.
I hated my father’s taste. And this was all him.
Continuing deeper into the bunker, the musty smell intensified as we entered a room filled with exercise equipment, followed by a surprisingly large kitchen and living area.
These rooms looked similar to the first we were in—old and garish.
It was clear this vault had been designed over sixty-five years ago and hadn’t been updated since.
Then again, why update something you hope never to use?
From the kitchen, a man straightened from his crouched position, his face pale, letting out a slight yelp when he saw us. Once his mind registered it was me, he clutched his chest. “Vincent, you startled me. Did my guards find you?”
“What?” I was confused; it was like he was expecting me.
His eyebrows pinched together. “I told my staff to find you and bring you here for safety.” He shifted toward Gabe. “Ah, there’s my boy. I knew I could count on you for bringing Vincent to me.” His eyes flashed to Jude with distaste. “Who’s your friend?”
“Dad, wh-what is this place?” I ignored his question, trying to subtly shift the focus from the human in the room.
“It’s my bunker,” he answered, extending his arms like he was welcoming me home. “I made it in case we were ever attacked, another nuclear war broke out, or a new sickness affecting vampires came to fruition.”
“For us?”
He laughed. “Of course, who else would I want to be with at the end of the world?”
Me, for my blood. He was playing a game.
“There are rumors outside Elysium that this vault holds the key to killing all the vampires.” Gabe stepped in and scanned the room, clearly searching for answers.
My father laughed again. “Nope, just a bunker. I don’t believe there’s a way to kill the vampire race. We are here to stay. That is, as long as we have enough blood to sustain our bodies, which we always will thanks to my son.”
Gabe, Jude, and I subtly exchanged shared looks. “I’ve heard that too. Why would everyone think that if it’s not true, Dad?”
“Hmm, maybe for the secret room I created?” He crept toward a secluded door on the far side of the living room. “I needed this place to be a true safe haven, so I developed this room and stocked it to last a few years, just in case.”
I walked toward my father, the smile on his face crinkling the corners of his eyes, as he held the door open for me.
Jude and Gabe remained, their hands hovering over their holstered weapons, ready for action.
The air crackled with tension. As I leaned into the room, the sudden burst of light from the motion sensors startled me, revealing a surprisingly tidy space.
A long hallway stretched before me, filled with shelves upon shelves of large crystal decanters that were filled to the brim with blood.
“What is this?” I breathed as a sudden wave of prickliness scratched at my skin.
“Isn’t it obvious? Blood!” he screamed in delight. “Years ago, when I started experimenting, I found a way to create a longer-lasting strain of blood and stocked this bunker with it. See the big red button at the far end of the wall?”
I nodded. Knowing my father, a big red button didn’t mean anything good. He’s such a cliche.
“It’s the last resort. If pressed, that button will detonate bombs all over the city.
But not us.” He smiled. “We have this new blood that stays fresher longer, although it has a shorter rate of effectiveness. We’ve actually had it for quite a while, but have never distributed it to other Elysiums.” He shrugged once he noticed the disgust on my face.
“What? Supply and demand increases the price of goods.”
“Speaking of that…there’s been something I’ve wanted to talk with you about.” I knew my voice was shaking, but I tried my hardest to remain calm and steady. “I heard some things about you while I was kidnapped.”
“My dear boy, you cannot believe a word the humans say. They’re all liars.” He poured himself a drink and took a swig. “Look at their politics before the collapse. They cannot be trusted.”
No more beating around the bush—I have to finally be direct and honest. “Dad, did you help create the Dogs and keep them in production this whole time?”
I’ve never seen my dad’s face lose sense of control. It was like hearing my direct question made him glitch. Everyone he knows speaks to him like he’s the most important person in the world. And I suppose to them, he is. But not me, not anymore.
“It’s widely known Dante created the Dogs.”
“That wasn’t the question,” Gabe spat. “Answer him.”
His eyes, cold and sharp as ice, threw daggers at the man before him.
“Remember who you’re speaking to, Gabriel.
” He squinted, peering at each of us intently before pushing his glasses up his nose and planting one hand firmly on his hip.
“Dante and I created the Dogs as well as the automation for their repair in the event of damage. That was the directive of the United States government at the time.”
“And what of after?”
“Dante and I had a falling out. I wanted to use the Dogs for the vampire’s advantage, and he wanted to disable them completely.”
“And what did you do to him?” He must know I now have knowledge of all the despicable things he’s done. “Did you kill him? Turn him into a vampire?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t heard from him in years. I assume he was at the laboratory in the mountains. We continue to send him supplies and food because our order forms keep being completed.”
Why was he continuing to lie to me? “Do you take responsibility, even partially, for the apocalypse we’re in?”
He paused, a finger tapping thoughtfully against his chin, before answering. “Partially, I suppose, but it was all to preserve the people I loved.”
“Let’s be real—it was for power and wealth.” This was the first time Jude spoke, and though his voice trembled slightly, he wasn’t wrong. His face blazed with fury and anger. “Stop lying to your son. He knows the truth.”
A sly smirk stretched across my father’s face, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
“Well, yes, I made a lot of money and became the most powerful individual in the world. With all my wealth, I created Elysiums across the globe, safe vampire compounds away from humans. My initial thought was to live separately but harmoniously.”
“Until you used the Dogs to kill the humans,” Gabe said under his breath.
“Look at what I created!” The sound of buzzing filled the room as Salvatore clicked a button, turning on the old television screen hanging on the wall.
Four quadrants displayed horrific visions of The Wastes—a bloodbath of chaos and destruction happening outside, each quadrant a different angle of the carnage.
“I created the strongest army in the world, and we’re winning!
I cannot be stopped. It’s my responsibility to ensure the vampire race continues. ”
I gazed at the television and saw Exiles launching themselves at the humans, taking them down one by one. A horrifying expanse of white snow was stained crimson where the soldiers lay, their bodies scattered across the field. The only color was their white coats, now red.
“Speaking of responsibility.” My dad swept across the room. “I understand the Extraction was unsuccessful today. We found our poor doctors completely dead. I didn’t raise you to be a killer, Vincent.”
“I-I’m not giving my blood to anyone anymore. Without me, you’ll turn into an Exile, and this war will be over. We can finally start to rebuild what you’ve broken.”
“Oh, you’ll give it to me, whether you give it willingly or I force you to.” With a roar, my father launched himself across the room, knocking me onto the floor. I screamed, my legs thrashing wildly as his fangs tore into my neck, and a chilling cold ran under my skin as he began to drain me.