Vivienne

Vivienne stood where she was and waited until the thrumming sound of Heather's bike faded into the distance before she turned and spoke to the darkness behind her. “Brilliant.  The both of you.”  Vivienne watched as a set of kids started running around their mothers car playing tag. “I am thankful that you both held back and didn’t interrupt.”

“I said I had your back, Viv.”  Casey walked up and hugged Vivienne. “Who was she anyways?”

Vivienne softly ran her fingers in Casey’s wavy auburn hair. “Old companion.”  Vivienne quickly explained how she knew Heather and the connection that she’d made before arriving at the manor. “One thing is for certain, I was incorrect about the leader and the number of people that could be at this farm.”

Wiping her lips free of excess blood, Sylvie seemed to form out of the shadow itself. “You said that there were five that got away from you?”  She pointed at the open street that Heather had taken, “She wasn’t among them?”

“No.”  Vivienne smiled, “I saw a set of yellow orbs from the location where they escaped from.  Miss Addison’s eyes are normal.”  Vivienne pointed to Sylvie, “Weren’t you concerned about the cameras?”

Sylvie chuckled and shook her head, “Nope.”  She mentioned triumphantly, “I have a working knowledge of..”  She held up her hands and made quotes, “..camera systems.”  Sylvie noticed the confused looks on both Casey’s and Vivienne’s faces before rolling her eyes and explaining, “Kody showed me the different surveillance cameras, how the shutters worked, where the lenses were flawed, which cameras were the best or worst.”  She pointed at the bold white shapes on the roof. “Those aren’t even digital.  They are old and still use a VHS tape.  Odds are they aren’t even working.”  Sylvie changed the subject back, “Tell us what you initially thought, Vivienne.  Also..Did I hear her call you a vampire queen?”

Casey saw Vivienne hold up a finger, then speed off. “I heard that too, vampire queen.  Odd.”  Casey spotted Vivienne quickly feeding from a couple that had simply been talking as they pumped gas. “She does that with such elegance.”

“Both a curse and experience.”  Sylvie offered as her eyes phased to match the moon overhead. “It takes a while to be able to do it like she does.”  Sylvie gently pulled Casey’s hair into a ponytail and secured it with a hair tie. “It burns, you know.”  She watched as Casey’s chocolate eyes filled with curiosity. “I will explain it later.”  Sylvie pointed to Vivienne as she came back to their gathering spot.

Vivienne pointed at the family who had been playing around a few minutes before. “Vampire queen.  I am familiar with the concept, though it is flawed.”  Vivienne held up four fingers to match the family, “The idea is that I would have created say four progeny.”  She then poked her thumb out, “Say I am the thumb.  Take me out and the other four die instantly.  A domino effect, that couldn’t be more incorrect.”

“I wonder where they got the idea from?”  Casey flipped her hair over her shoulder and nodded to Sylvie, “Thanks.”

Vivienne watched the two for a few seconds, “It isn’t an unfounded claim, however…I would rather focus on Faye.  The longer we wait the longer she goes with that thing in her chest and loses blood.”

“You know this confirms that The Ripped waited for us to send Drake to find you, Vivienne.”  Sylvie mentioned. “The timing of the attack was the night after you arrived.  I wonder if Issac captured that commander or he came to us.”

Vivienne’s eyes widened, “The man did say he was under a white flag and delivered a speech to the council.”  Vivienne paced back and forth, kicking a couple rocks as she did so. “He did call me blue eyes, like he was confirming something.”  Vivienne picked up one of the gray and black blended pebbles and lightly tossed it across the parking lot. “I think we keep going with the plan, except we have to acknowledge that there could be more of the Ripped there than we know.  My assertion was that their numbers were depleted because I only saw a few escape.”

“I think it would be best if Casey and I stayed back in the woodline close to the farm itself.  Once you give us the layout, we can go after Faye.”  Sylvie raised her eyebrow and waited for confirmation from Vivienne that never came. “Vivienne, don’t go in there alone.  You did ask us to help you know.”

Seeing the concerned looks on her companions' faces, Vivienne shook her head slowly. “I agree.  I will not go in by myself.”

Casey started hopping in place and stretching her thighs, “Let’s get going!”

Deciding to stay with the others, Vivienne winked at the both of them and rather than taking her tiny raven form, she shifted into a small silver haired fox.  Vivienne chirp-barked once and pointed her tiny black nose in the direction that she sensed Faye.  

Casey couldn’t help herself and reached down to pick up Vivienne. “I was right!”  She giggled and saw how the blue eyes from Vivienne’s slender fox form almost glared at her. “Adorable in every way.  I could just..”  Casey squished Vivienne against her big chest, “Wait until Faye sees you like this.”

Sylvie snickered to herself and pointed to the ground. “You might want to set her down, Her fluffy tail is twitching not swishing.”

Vivienne wiggled and licked Casey’s face, before her ward set her back on the ground. Twisting her pointed ears up, Vivienne’s blue eyes focused on her ward until Casey got the message.  Satisfied that the others would follow, Vivienne bounded off into the distance as fast as she could.

–

Traveling quickly through the different fields of soybean, cotton and wheat Vivienne and her companions stopped at the edge of a dark cornfield.  The moon cast an eerie light over the field, highlighting the dusky yellow tops while a shadow fell over the dark green leaves that rustled lightly with the wind from the trees.  Vivienne stopped running and shifted back to her feminine form and held her hand up. “Stop. This is the place..but..”  She pointed at the tall, creepy corn stalks that she now noticed were surrounded by a heavy and dank green mist that seemed to be petting the crisp leaves.  Vivienne watched the swirls of the hazy smog turn back just as a wisp would attempt to go beyond the edge of the field.  “These stalks have to be over ten feet...Why isn’t it coming into the woods?”

Sylvie wandered up to Vivienne’s right, “Feel that?  It’s magical.”

Casey nodded and looked at Vivienne, “I kinda feel it?  What do we do Vivienne?”

Vivienne walked along the border of the woodline and confirmed her suspicions. “Whatever this is, certainly isn’t reaching beyond the border of the field.”  She held up a finger. “Which tells me that at the very least this is some sort of alarm.”  Vivienne took a wide route back to her friends, “I also am apprehensive in walking through as it might break whatever wall is holding it back.  The last thing we want to do is see if this thing spreads.”

Sylvie felt an unearthly shiver spread across her body, “The satellite map didn’t show a cornfield here.”  She heard something hit the ground beside her and spun to see a husk that held a thick piece of corn start to pop and ooze rancid looking water.  Closing her eyes, she shook her head to clear the visual.  “Do either of you see an ear of corn exploding with a disgusting substance?”  She pointed to her left.

Casey put her hand on Sylvie’s shoulder, “No.  I only see the stalks and that mist.”  

Vivienne backed up and pulled the other two with her. “I suggest we give whatever that is a wide berth.”  She confirmed Casey’s statement, “My ward is correct, I see only the field and mist itself.”  Vivienne took Casey’s hand and placed it in Sylvie’s. “Watch her, while I fly up and see how thick this is.”  Quickly winking one of her lovely blue eyes, Vivienne shifted once more into her raven form and launched herself straight up.