A Shade of Vampire 61_A Land of Perfects by Bella Forrest

Author:Bella Forrest [Forrest, Bella]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nightlight Press
Published: 2018-07-01T23:00:00+00:00

Derek

I followed Ta’Zan out of the dark hall and into a corridor. The overhead light shone yellow, making me squint as I looked around, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. The walls were black, the same type of stone that was in our prison.

We were underground, judging by the absence of noise, the lack of natural light, and the damp smell. Ta’Zan walked ahead, while I stayed a couple of feet behind him, as the corridor was too narrow for us to walk side by side.

There was a set of stairs leading up at the end of the hallway.

“Ta’Zan, I understand that you’re a brilliant creature,” I said. “Not just anyone can take someone’s genes and work them into new life. It takes the kind of skill and knowledge that most of us can’t even dream of. But why do you do it?”

“You know, I’ve asked myself that question many times,” he replied. “I’ve yet to come up with an answer that satisfies me, to be honest. I think I should start by telling you that I, too, am the creation of someone else, Derek.”

I didn’t say anything, my breath cut short for a moment as I took that in.

“You mean to tell me you’re an artificially created hybrid, just like your Faulties and Perfects?” I managed.

“I was made in a glass dish, yes, but I am no Faulty or Perfect. I am unique in my design and complexity,” Ta’Zan replied as he climbed the stairs. “Before me, the Draenir used to populate Strava. Good and intelligent creatures. I carry most of their genetic package. They crossed their own genes with a few animals, aiming to create a superior being, which they did,” he added, pointing a thumb at himself. “But I was the only one of my kind.”

“What happened?” I asked.

There was a door at the top of the stairs. He pushed it open. White light burst through, so I stayed back for a few moments, not sure whether it was the sun or a light fixture. He looked at me over his shoulder, then smiled.

“It’s okay, Derek. It’s artificial light. I suppose your eyes are still adjusting to your new environment,” he said.

I nodded slowly, then went up the stairs and joined him in what looked like another hallway. This one, however, was pure white, its walls, floor, and ceiling polished to perfection. There were dozens of glass doors on both sides.

“A terrible plague happened, Derek,” Ta’Zan said. “I’d finally learned how the Draenir had made me. I’d understood their technology, I’d absorbed their knowledge, and I’d accepted the philosophy behind their actions. I figured I was smart enough to make more of myself, basically. But a disease started sweeping through the Draenir society. They started dying off.”

We passed by several doors, until he stopped in front of one and went into the room. I quietly followed, then came to a sudden halt, stunned by what I was seeing. It was a laboratory, filled with heavy machinery and computers—different, yet remarkably similar to what I’d seen on Earth.

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