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POLOKWANE, SOUTH AFRICA
STERKFONTEIN CAVES
Vincent Moore runs his flashlight along the walls of the cave, taking in the images that will surely give him nightmares for years to come. If he makes it out alive, that is.
Of course, the banal chatter coming from above his head certainly isn't doing anything to help the situation.
"Are you even listening to me?" Alec Bale demands, staring down into the hole Vince is trapped in.
"No, I'm not," Vince says, groaning loudly. "Can you please shut up already? You're giving me a headache."
"I'm trying to keep you sane, so you don't have to think about getting eaten by cannibals!"
Vince glances at the images of natives devouring one another — hundreds of these images are scrawled and painted onto the cavern walls. "Trust me, it's a welcome alternative to hearing you talk."
"I know this is creepy and all, but it's kinda cool and gothic."
"No wonder you're so screwed up," Vince snaps. "Your dad really did a number on you."
There is silence for a moment. Vince realizes his mistake, but his mind subconsciously keeps him from issuing an apology to Alec. But whether he thinks Alec deserves it is a moot point, he's conditioned himself not to care about his former friend anymore.
He can't go back now.
"It's very creepy," Vince continues. "Probably the creepiest thing to ever happen to me..."
HANLEY HOME
Grainy video footage of Vincent Moore's room is fast-forwarded as Eric Hanley surveys the recordings from his hidden camera. He sits in his room silently, his thumb pressed firmly on the button.
Varied images of Vince in his room are followed by long stretches on an empty bed. Hearing a knock at his bedroom door, Eric turns off the footage and shifts his view to the front door.
"Come in."
Blake Thomas pokes his head through the door, grinning. "I meant to ask...where's the shower? This place is huge."
"Down the hall, to the left, then it's the third door on the right."
"Thanks," Blake says, winking at Eric as he exits.
Once Blake is gone, Eric turns the footage on once more. This time, the grainy footage reveals Blake leading Eric to Vince's bed. They undress one another and begin to have sex.
Smiling, Eric leans back and undoes his pants zipper.
POLOKWANE, SOUTH AFRICA
DESERT
"Burying Sara's body isn't going to keep Quentin from finding out what you did," Julia Mitchell says, watching as Chris Server shovels dirt onto his victim's shallow, makeshift grave.
"I know that," Chris says. "He probably already knows. But I don't need to leave my mess lying around."
"No, you'd just rather leave his daughter lying around," Julia snaps.
"Akilah is fine. She feed for the first time...she's resting."
"She's not even a vampire!"
Chris nods. "No, not yet...now are you going to help me or not?"
"And ruin these nails?" Julia says, laughing.
Chris is not amused. She rolls her eyes and drops to her knees, prepared to dump dirt onto Sara's cold, dead corpse. As the dirt splashes onto Sara's skin, Julia feels an odd sensation come over her.
"Julia..."
Julia Mitchell grips the butcher knife that she just plunged into Antonio Gomez's chest. "Does this feel familiar?"
She slides the knife out and holds it in front of her. Julia grins as blood drips onto the kitchen floor. Antonio tries to speak, but he instead falls forward. As he lies on the floor in a pool of his own blood, Julia slowly walks to the kitchen sink to rinse the weapon.
Julia shakes her head, getting the memories out of her mind. Things she never remembered, except in the darkest of her nightmares. It was not often that she felt any residual effects from Zaliphyr's possession of her four years ago.
But in this brief moment, while burying Sara, she does. She remembers how violated she felt. And she recognizes something off in her now...something terribly wrong with her chemical make-up.
Something artificial. Something controlling.
"Quentin," Julia gasps.
"Yes, Quentin is coming," Chris says, more than mild irritation registering in his voice. "I know that already!"
"I...I have to go and be with Akilah," Julia says quickly. She rises to her feet. "Quentin would want be to be there."
"Whatever," Chris says. "I'll finish burying her myself."
Julia nods hurriedly before rushing off into the night, not wanting to look back, but feeling as if she's being watched the entire way.
EMERALD HEART
Rebecca Li awakes to the sound of pounding at her motel room's door. She sits up in bed, finding Kane next to her, still undressed and snoring. She jabs him in the side. "Wake up!"
"Huh?" Kane grumbles, barely waking up.
"Someone's at the door," she hisses. "It could be Kyle!"
"How about you go and see?"
"And let him see us sleeping like this?" Rebecca says, frantically dressing herself. "I don't think so! Get up!"
As the pounding continues, Rebecca throws a sheet over Kane's body and rushes to the door. She peers through the peephole, discovering that it is Aaron Maddock at the door, not Kyle. Confused, Rebecca cracks the door just enough for her to slide out and face Aaron in person.
"Aaron! What are you doing here?"
"Following you," Aaron says. "I knew you were up to no good."
"I don't follow."
"I've been following you for weeks," Aaron says. "And every single night, you're here. Every morning. Now, I wonder...what would a woman of your stature be doing here? In this shack."
Rebecca nervously grips the doorknob. "You've...you've got a theory?"
"You're sleeping with someone else? No, that seems almost too easy," Aaron says. "I took one of your earrings in to a pawn shop. It's worthless. So you're also wearing fake clothing. What does that tell me? That you're a liar. And a phony."
"What are you trying to say?"
"You're broke," Aaron snaps. "And you're not Rebecca Li."
"I...of course I am," Rebecca insists. "That makes no sense."
"I don't know what fucking game you're playing, but you are not Rebecca Li," Aaron snaps. "She's dead. I did a little digging and found that she and her son were killed in a car accident years ago, and seeing as how you're right here, alive? I know you're not her."
All the color drains from Rebecca's face. "I...of course I'm..."
Aaron grabs Rebecca arm and presses her body against the door. "I'm tired of you lying to me, bitch."
"You're hurting me!"
"Oh, you haven't even begun to hurt," Aaron snarls. "You'll be in a lot more pain if you don't come to terms right now."
"Come to terms with what?"
"The fact that I now own you. And come hell or high water to the complete obliteration of your life as you know it, you are going to convince the hospital board to award me custody of Alexis Lopez," Aaron says.
He releases Rebecca from her grip, allowing her to sink to the ground, crying. "I'll take the tears as a resounding affirmative," Aaron says, returning to the parking lot.
POLOKWANE, SOUTH AFRICA
STERKFONTEIN CAVES
Julia walks along the dark cavern pathway, knowing that Chris will be done soon and discover that she is not with Akilah. Hopefully, she will have enough time to come up with a plausible excuse. But for now, there is something she must do.
Vince and the others are busy looking for answers in these caves, but they'll never truly find the answers they're looking for. The ancient Mapungubwe people who lived in these caves and populated Polokwane left places for many secrets to be hidden.
Secrets of a people evolved from their practice of cannibalism that ultimately turned to feeding only on the blood of one another to replenish their strength.
Africa. The motherland to the human race and the same to the first race of vampires. Their lives intertwined since the dawn of time.
And Julia...she should be under their thrall. But something about Zaliphyr's control over her has made her...aware. Completely aware of everything. She knows that Vince will not find any answers here unless someone helps him.
So Julia has arrived at the one person who can lead the way. Tell of the things she has seen...all the while keeping Julia's hands clean.
"Hello," Julia says, standing before the young woman chained before her, squirreled away in the deepest region of the caverns. "I'm here to set you free... Kelli."
