Part 20 (2/2)

'Ben, get us out of here,' Trajan shouted. 'We're drifting into a jetty.'

Ben hurled a punch into the face of something that had once been a middle-aged man. With a grunt it tumbled back into the Thames. Using his last reserves of strength he kicked the hands of a pair of vampires that climbed up the other side of the rail. When their broken fingers could no longer hold them, they, too, slipped back into the swarm of vampires that churned the water around the boat. There must have been dozens now. Ben knew he couldn't fight them all. Exhausted, he staggered back into the pilothouse. Once more he hit the throttle. Only this time he managed to find reverse. The boat slid backwards as the big propellers chopped the river like whirling knife blades. A second later it wasn't just liquid they chopped as the propellers hacked through limbs and torsos. When he accelerated the boat forward again he left the remains of a dozen shattered bodies twitching in the waters. More vampire bodies slammed against the vessel's prow as he sped away from the bank into the gathering darkness, and toward their destiny.

THIRTY-ONE.

Ben had no qualms in handing over the piloting of the motor yacht to Trajan. The man skillfully guided the boat downstream despite him still panting with exhaustion, and the fact that he'd only narrowly avoided being torn apart by the vampires just minutes ago.

I nearly let them take him, Ben thought to himself, as he watched the blond man at the wheel. There was an opportunity to get rid of you. It would have left the way open for me to get close to April again.

Ben gripped the back of the chair almost to steady himself mentally rather than physically. Because with the mental image of Trajan falling victim to those creatures he realized he felt no guilt at the thought of his rival for April being destroyed. Even at this moment he could grab Trajan and topple him over the rail into the river. n.o.body would suspect Ben because n.o.body knew about that secret longing for April. For a while he was so wrapped up in this electrifying revelation that he didn't realize that Trajan called to him above the thunder of motors.

'Pray we don't hit any debris or any boatsa The moon's bright but it's still hard to see objects in the water. Ben, keep a look out through the windows at your side. Shout if you see anything in the water. Okay?'

'Okay.'

'The tide's turned so we've a current of around four knots pus.h.i.+ng us downstream anyway. I'm hitting thirty knots now so we should be out of the city in thirty minutes.' He shot him a grim smile. 'We're breaking the speed limit, so just hope the river police are busy somewhere else tonight.'

The ma.s.sive boat skimmed across the water. In the moonlight Old Father Thames resembled mercury. One moment it was black, the next a metallic silver. With the failure of the electricity supply the buildings that flanked the banks were huge monolithic oblongs; tombstone shapes that blotted out the starry sky. Cars still crawled along the streets. Every so often he glimpsed a face onsh.o.r.e that turned to watch the boat, and sometimes he suspected that it was not a human face. London's landmarks were nothing more than indistinct ghosts of their former selves under the flood of darkness. He glimpsed the dark finger of Cleopatra's Needle pointing skyward. Each bridge they pa.s.sed beneath could have been an entrance to h.e.l.l itself as they cut out the moonlight and left Trajan's steering to become an act of faith in the total blackout. Then the boat would surge into moonlight again to allow glimpses of the London Eye and the glittering colossus of Canary Wharf.

He glanced back at their wake, which formed a V shape of white foam that rushed out to the riverbanks. The Thames itself wriggled through London in elongated S-shapes; so, despite their speed, sometimes their progress was almost thwarted when the water channel double-backed on itself as it did now at the Isle of Dogs with its ma.s.s of warehouses and the glittering pools of the West India Docks. The blackout extended even out here. Some power that Ben couldn't begin to comprehend had strangled London of her electricity supply. When Ben glanced back again to watch their wake he saw the silhouette of two figures in the doorway to the aft deck. Trajan kept his eyes forward on the night-time river, so he hadn't noticed the intruders. From the bank the stray lights from a vehicle illuminated their faces with a sudden brilliance that made Ben catch his breath.

'April!'

This made Trajan turn his head. 'April, thank G.o.d you're alright!'

And yet Ben noticed a change. 'April, what's wrong?'

Somehow her face appeared to blaze with its own inner-light. Her eyes held a flame of ineffable power. The smile on her face held his own gaze. She was the picture of warmth, joy and tenderness. At that moment he couldn't see past that to notice the sticky spikes of her hair, or the fact her dress had become little more than a filthy rag that clung to her body. Dimly, he was aware that a hole had been torn at the waist to reveal an area of naked flesh the size of his open hand. The wounds caused by teeth that had violated her skin. At that moment the negative aspects of her appearance were obliterated by her uncanny beauty. He saw himself grasping her, and hugging her, while he released all those secret feelings he harboured. The urge became overwhelming. He could put his arms round her and confess everything. How much she meant to him. Leave Trajan. He, Ben Ashton, would prove he loved her.

'Trajan,' she called. 'Something marvelous has happened to me. I need Ben to tell the world about it.'

The second figure shook his head. 'First we must go back to the island. Then we can talk.'

'No, Trajan, please turn the boat round!'

'First, the island,' he insisted. 'Once we've regained control of ourselves, then we can discuss this.'

Trajan was torn between looking ahead as he piloted the boat and wanting to look back at April. 'What happened to you, April? Have you been hurt?'

'No, something wonderful happened, Trajan. Oh, G.o.d, please let me share it with you. It's New-Life. It is going to change the world. Stop the boat. We can talk about it right now.'

A third figure slipped like a ghost into the pilothouse. Ben recognized the slim figure of Elmo Kigoma. 'Gentlemen, these are vampires. You must take care.'

April looked hurt. 'Why do you say we're vampires? That's not true! Ben, look at me. See how healthy I am.'

Elmo said, 'They possess self-control at the moment. It won't last. As soon as they become hungry they'll become dangerous.'

'That's rubbish.' April's eyes flashed. 'We wouldn't harm you!'

The stranger spoke. 'The man's right. Our only hope is to return to the island. I could control this thing there. We weren't crazy.' The man's gold-tipped teeth glinted as he spoke. 'I can show you where it is. It's down in the estuary, opposite one of the big oil refineries. Look for a low-lying mound toward the south sh.o.r.e; there's a ma.s.s of willows and a ruined house. It's the only building on the island.'

'Don't listen to him, Trajan. Yes, we went through a rough time at first. But we know what to do now. We can control this thing.'

'Yes! By feeding on people, wringing every last drop of blood from their bodies!' The stranger became agitated. 'This man understands us.' He nodded toward Elmo. 'I can tell from his face. He's seen our kind before.'

'You must do what you can to remain calm,' Elmo told him. 'What's your name?'

'I'm Carter Vaughn. This is April Connor.'

'We know her,' Ben said.

Elmo continued. 'Carter Vaughn. You have a name and ident.i.ty. Remember it. Strive to hold on to your memories. What's your mother's name?'

Carter had become edgy. 'Why's that important?'

'Your memory belongs to you. It is the anchor of your personality. Can you remember your mother's name?'

'Yes, of course, it'sa' He bit his lip as his eyes roved the ceiling of the pilothouse as if he'd find it written there. Meanwhile, Ben noticed that April's smile had widened into a leer; her eyes fixed on him with a fiery intensity.

'April,' Ben said. 'Do you remember your mother's name?'

'Ben. You're the most brilliant writer in the world. Write my story for the newspapers. You know people in television, too. They can make a film about what happened to us. We discovered New-Life. It's going to change the world. n.o.body will be ill again. And it fills you with sucha' She took a deep breath that seemed to sizzle with sheer eroticism. 'It fills you with such happiness.'

'The island,' Carter grunted. 'Take us back there.'

'I'm trying,' Trajan answered. 'But the estuary's vast. You've got to help me.'

'I will, sir. I will, sir.' Carter began to perspire. 'If I can, I will.' He closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them he gasped, 'My mother's name is Pearl. Pearl Vaughn, aged fifty-two. Lives in Lambert Road. Takes medication for blood pressure. Likes to watcha likes to watcha' His eyes rolled before he took another breath to steady himself. 'Watches doc.u.mentaries about ancient history. Works as a cleaner in a school, but she loves programs about ancient civilizationsa'

'Carter?'

Elmo held up his hand. 'Trajan, let Carter speak. If he's remembering he's keeping a hold on his rational mind.'

'Ancient cities,' Carter murmured. 'She knew that the Romans built the first London. Roman galleys sailed the Thames. Centurions, legionnaires. My mother's name is Pearl. She told me to be proud of my colour. We aren't strangers in a foreign town because London was founded by Romans from Italy. And people from all over the world built the rest of it. She said if you took everything contributed by the Poles, French, Russians, Chinese, Africans, West Indians; the Huguenot, Hindu, Muslim and Jew; if you could magic everything away that they gave to London you'd have nothing but a swamp again. No city, no-'

'Shut up!' April slashed one arm at Carter, knocking him down as if he'd been nothing more substantial than a reed.

'Turn the boat around. This is a miracle! Don't throw it away! The world is dying; it needs a second chance!'

'Don't listen to her!' Elmo Kigoma held out his hands. 'What she's talking about is infecting everyone with the curse. She wants everyone to become a vampire.'

She lunged forward, trying to claw her way to the controls. Elmo gripped her in his wiry arms. 'Listen, child. I know you still have some humanity inside of you. Fight this thing.'

'No, this is New-Life. Don't you people understand? This is the good news that the world has been waiting for. This is the end of death.' She pushed forward until she could grab Trajan's arm. 'Listen to me. Turn around. Bring scientists and doctors, I'll make them understand!' With a formidable strength she shoved Trajan aside despite Elmo's best attempts to hold her. Trajan immediately lost control of the boat, causing it to swing violently to one side. It seemed at that moment it would capsize.

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