Part 21 (1/2)

'Keep her back!' Trajan fought for the wheel.

Carter sprang to his feet. With both hands he gripped April's wrist and pulled it back.

Elmo turned to April. 'Child, come with me. You can talk to me about the miracle. Just leave Trajan to steer the boat.' He spoke soothingly. 'Tell me what happened to you. I am interested, believe me. No, don't hurt Trajan. Please try to remain calm.'

Carter and Elmo managed to move her a couple of paces back from Trajan at the wheel. Without having to kill the speed he quickly got the boat under control.

By now Elmo and Carter held April between them by her arms. As her chest rose and fell from the exertion of the struggle her eyes fixed on Ben with such an expression of longing his heart began to pound.

'What is it?' Elmo asked her. 'Do you want to tell me what happened to you?'

She shook her head.

'What, then?'

'Hungry,' she hissed. 'I need it.' She groaned. 'Carter, it's starting again. I'm hurting. Please get me some food.'

Carter renewed his grip on her as she began to struggle. 'It's taken hold of her; she won't be able to control herself now.'

'What's wrong with her?' Ben asked.

Carter shot him a grim look. 'She wants your blood. She longs to fill her belly with it.' He grimaced. 'And so do I.'

The throb of motors seemed over-powering in the confines of the pilothouse. Ben saw how Carter's eyes gleamed as his lips drew back to expose the teeth with the gold tips. In the river water, heads broke the surface. From the banks men and women slithered down the mud into the Thames with the menace of crocodiles in pursuit of prey. Vampires gathering for the kill.

'Remember who you are,' Elmo urged. 'Carter Vaughn. What is your profession?'

Carter's eyes clouded, dampening the fires that blazed there. 'I'ma a community worker.'

'You save people?'

'Rehabilitation. Addicts. Young offenders.' He took a deep breath as his eyes focused. 'Oh, G.o.d.'

'You're back with us,' Ben told him. 'Now stay with us!'

'Ben's right,' Trajan called back from the wheel. 'We need you to get us to the island.'

Carter shook his head. 'I won't be able to hold it together much longer.' He grunted. 'I'm feeling it, too. It's more than hunger, it burns. You feel as if you're on fire.'

April struggled. 'Carter, I've got to eat. Let me eat for pity's sake.' Her words rose into a scream. 'I can't stand this pain. It's killing me. Let go of me!'

Carter maintained his grip on her arm. 'April, listen to me. There's been no miracle. This New-Life that seemed so important to us - it's an illusion. We're not superhuman; we're monsters. Don't you understand?'

'You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Let go of me!'

'We're monsters, nothing but disgusting monsters. We only make ourselves feel good by destroying other people's lives. This man is right. We are vampires. We need human blood to make us well again.'

'Give mea' She grunted. 'Give me somea' She fixed Ben with that incandescent glare of hers. 'C'mere, Bena c'mere. You'll kiss me, won't you?'

By now Elmo and Carter had to struggle to prevent her breaking free. As well as grasping the writhing woman, Carter struggled with himself. His expression fluctuated between concern and a greedy leer. And yet through sheer will power Carter maintained his self-control. 'You've got to move this boat faster. I'm hungry nowa all I can think about isa' He gritted his teeth.

'We need you to show us the way,' Trajan told him. 'You're not like the others. You know who you are and what you're doing.'

Sweat beaded on Carter's forehead. 'Believe me, it won't last. It's like holding on to a rope that's covered in grease. I'm trying hard but it's running away through my fingers. I can feel ita uha it's starting to hurt.'

Elmo called out, 'We can't hold them both. Ben, help me get April into the next cabin. We'll lock her in there.'

'What about Carter?'

'I'll help as long as I can,' Carter replied. 'Only I can't promise you'll be safe. I might hurt youa I won't be able to stop myself. I don't want to buta' He licked his lips. 'When this startsa It's like acid in your veins. You burn so much youa uha eata it's blood you want. All that reda I can taste it. I want-'

'Hurry, Ben. Take hold of April's arm. Carter, stay here. Keep repeating your name, your mother's name, anything that reminds you of your ident.i.ty.' Elmo nodded to Ben, indicating he should take April's arm. It had begun to flail. 'Now isn't the time to be gentle. Hurry!'

April lunged toward Ben. Just an inch from the bare skin of his face he heard her teeth snap shut as she tried to bite him. The air from her lungs was the same as when you open an oven door; the heat scorched him, making him flinch.

'Hold on tight,' Elmo warned.

Carter howled. 'Hurry. I can't hold on much longer!'

A step led down to the door of the salon. As the boat bucked over waves Ben and Elmo bundled April through the door. She cursed them as she tried to struggle free. 'I'm going to hurt you,' she screamed. 'If you don't let go of me, you'll wish you'd never been born!'

'If we let go of you,' Elmo said, 'that's when we will regret being born.' Then to Ben, 'Lock the doors to the deck and put the key in your pocket.'

As Ben ran across the heaving floor Elmo forced April down until she lay on a sofa. Even so, she tried to turn her head back to bite his forearms. When the doors were locked Elmo nodded at the door to the pilothouse. 'Take the key from that doora no, don't go yet. See how those curtains are tied back? Take two of the velvet cords with you. Gooda in a moment I will release April. Be ready to close the door after me when I come through. Understand?'

Ben grabbed the plush velvet tie-backs from the curtains, then when he reached the door he shouted, 'Okay, ready when you are!'

Elmo moved like a cat. In seconds he was through the door to the pilothouse. Ben slammed the door shut after him, turned the key. A second after that April's face slammed against the gla.s.s in the door. He saw how the eye pressed there to glare her fury at them as she pounded the panel with her fists.

'Toughened gla.s.s,' Trajan told them. 'It'll hold.'

'Hurry.' Carter's voice was a howl of agony now. 'I can't hold on. I can feel it slipping awaya me slipping away. Something else is taking over. Uha'

Elmo took one of the velvet cords from Ben. 'Carter. Listen to me. I'm going to restrain you with this. It's for our safety. Do you understand?'

'Yes.' He grunted the word through clenched teeth. 'Do ita C'mon, faster!'

Trajan coaxed the man. 'Keep it together, buddy. We need you now. You've got to take us to the island.'

'I'm tryinga' Carter panted. 'G.o.d knowsa'

'Remember who you are,' Elmo said as he tied the cord around his wrist. 'Know your name. Think about your days at school. Who were your best friends?'